It is the first time in nearly four decades that the virus has been detected in the United Kingdom.
The discovery of poliovirus in London's sewage has prompted a national alert.
The UK Health Security Agency has found evidence that wastewater can spread viruses in small amounts in communities.
During routine monitoring of wastewater in north and east London, the first signs of community transmission of poliovirus were found. This led public health officials to declare a nationwide incident.
The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in February that vaccine-derived poliovirus was found in trash from the Beckton sewage treatment plant in Newham and that more positive samples had been found since then.
No cases of the disease or paralysis associated with it have been documented, and the danger to the general public is regarded to be low. However, public health experts are urging individuals to ensure that they and their families are up-to-date on polio vaccinations to minimise the chance of injury.
"Vaccine-derived poliovirus has the potential to spread, especially in populations with poor vaccination rates," said Dr. Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist with the UKHSA. "On rare occasions, it can cause paralysis in those who are not fully immunized. Therefore, if you or your child are not up-to-date on your polio immunizations, it is imperative that you call your doctor or, if you are doubtful, consult your red book."
"The majority of the British population will be protected by childhood vaccinations, but in communities with low vaccination rates, certain individuals may remain at risk," she noted.
Each year, a small number of unrelated polioviruses are routinely detected in the sewage of the United Kingdom. These are individuals who had the oral polio vaccine in another country and subsequently traveled to the United Kingdom. People who receive the oral immunization can shed the vaccine's weakened live virus in their feces for several weeks.
The fact that the London samples found since February were connected and included mutations suggested that the virus was changing as it traveled from person to person, causing concern.
The outbreak is likely to have been caused by an individual who returned to the United Kingdom after receiving the oral polio vaccine and transmitted the virus locally. We are uncertain as to how far the virus has gone; it may be restricted to a single household or a large family.
Polovirus can be transmitted by poor hand hygiene, contaminated food and water, and, less frequently, through coughing. A typical mode of transmission is for individuals to get contaminated hands after using the restroom and then transmit the virus to others by touching their meals.
The polio vaccine has been administered to 95 percent of five-year-olds in the United Kingdom.In London, however, only 91.2 percent of children of the same age group have received the vaccine.In reaction to the identification of the virus, the NHS will contact the parents of children whose polio immunizations are not up to date.
Some patients infected with polio experience a flu-like sickness up to three weeks after the first infection. In between one in one hundred and one in a thousand infections, the virus affects the nerves in the spine and the base of the brain, causing paralysis, most usually in the legs. On rare occasions, the virus might damage respiratory muscles, which can be lethal.
In 2004, the United Kingdom switched from the oral polio vaccination (OPV) to the injectable inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). As part of the 6-in-1 vaccine, the doses are administered at eight, twelve, and sixteen weeks as part of normal NHS pediatric vaccines. Boosters are available to children aged three to fourteen.
The UKHSA is currently analyzing samples of sewage from local communities that feed into the Beckton facility in an effort to pinpoint the spread area of the virus. If these tests find the center of the outbreak, public health experts may give polio shots to anyone who is at risk.
Prof. Nicholas Grassly, leader of the vaccine epidemiology research department at Imperial College London, stated, "Polio is a disease that persists in some of the world's poorest regions, and routine sewage testing in the United Kingdom frequently reveals importation of the virus."
"In this instance, there is concern that the virus may be circulating locally in London and may spread further." Fortunately, no one has yet exhibited signs of the disease, which affects only around 1 in 200 infected individuals, but it is crucial that youngsters are up-to-date on their polio vaccinations. We will continue to face this infectious disease threat until polio is eradicated worldwide.
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