Doctors are already sounding the alarm and calling it a “national incident.”
A polio virus has been found in London's wastewater and declared a” national incident “. The UK National Health Service has asked doctors to be alert to polio cases and urged residents of the British capital to check for vaccinations . This was reported by Sciense.
According to the publication, the source of the virus has not yet been identified. However, it is speculated that it was someone from outside the UK who recently received an oral polio vaccine (OPV) that uses a live but attenuated virus. The UK no longer uses the vaccine.
There are currently no cases of polio infection in the country. However, it is noted that many of its species are asymptomatic. However, the authorities of the British capital are still sounding the alarm, as in some parts of London the vaccination rate is below 90%.
Read also: More than 535 million people in the world have been infected with coronavirus
Such traces in sewage have already been detected and usually disappear again fairly quickly. However, this time the virus continued to appear in London for several months, and the latest samples revealed several closely related versions. Genetic changes indicate that the virus continues to develop and, therefore, it can spread.
“No country is safe from re-infection or recurrence of polio until it is eradicated,” said Oliver Rosenbauer, a spokesman for the World Health Organization's Global Polio Eradication Initiative. “The main thing countries can do is ensure strict disease surveillance and high vaccination coverage to minimize the risk and consequences of recurrence.”
Read also: WHO has already confirmed 780 cases of monkeypox in non-endemic countries
It will be recalled that as of February this year in Ukraine only 73.3% of children under the age of 1 received a full course of polio vaccination with a WHO recommendation of at least 95%.
>
