Officials in the UK have issued a warning due to the discovery of poliovirus in London's sewage.

 

The identified strain has the potential to cause severe disease occasionally.

 

The United Kingdom's Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued a warning on Wednesday that a strain of poliovirus that can occasionally cause paralysis has been found in the sewers of London. The virus may be spreading among closely-related individuals in the north and east regions of the city, according to the warning (June 22).

 

The United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive (UKHSA) has begun an inquiry to determine the scope of this spread and identify any possible instances. The danger that the virus will spread among the general population is "very minimal," according to the FDA; nevertheless, the virus does have the capacity to do so in places where there is insufficient vaccination coverage.

 

"On extremely rare occasions, it can cause paralysis in people who are not fully vaccinated," Dr. Vanessa Saliba, the consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said in the statement. "So if you or your child are not up to date with your polio vaccinations, it's important that you contact your GP to catch up or, if unsure, check your red book." The Red Book is the child health record utilized by the National Health Service (NHS). Although it is expected that the vast majority of people in the United Kingdom will be protected from childhood vaccination, individuals may still be at risk in some areas with insufficient vaccine coverage.

 

According to the United Kingdom's Health and Safety Executive, there is generally a low danger of polio transmission in the country due to a high rate of vaccination. In 2003, the World Health Organization certified the United Kingdom to be free of polio. However, over the past few years, the incidence of childhood vaccination has decreased across the country and particularly in specific areas of London, which is why the health service is now encouraging residents to check on the immunization status of their children.

 

Sewage samples are taken from the London Beckton Sewage Treatment Works regularly for poliovirus testing by the UK Health and Safety Executive and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. According to the UKHSA, in a typical year, the agencies find one to three unrelated polioviruses hiding in the sewage system. However, these appear to be isolated events tied to people who were vaccinated with the live oral polio vaccine.

 

According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the oral polio vaccine contains live but weakened polioviruses that have the potential to be shed in the stool of vaccinated individuals and thus end up in the sewers (GPEI). These polioviruses that are contained within feces have the potential to increase the overall level of immunity in communities that have inadequate sanitation because they can spread to individuals who have not been vaccinated against the disease. However, this only occurs if the viruses maintain their current level of vulnerability. However, in some instances, the viruses have changed their behavior to behave more like wild, naturally occurring polioviruses, which are capable of causing illness in individuals who have not been fully immunized against the disease.

 

Because of this risk, several nations, like the United States, only employ "inactivated" polio vaccines rather than oral vaccines. However, according to the GPEI, for polio to be wholly eradicated, all countries will eventually need to stop their use of oral vaccines.

 

Samples of sewage that were taken in London during February and May revealed the presence of several polioviruses that are closely connected. According to the GPEI, they discovered that these samples included vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2), which is the most frequent kind of vaccine-derived poliovirus. According to the UKHSA, people who have not received a complete vaccination against VDPV2 run the risk of experiencing a severe illness or even paralysis.

 

According to the announcement, the detection of VDPV2 provides evidence that the poliovirus may be spreading among "closely-linked individuals in North and East London," some of whom are currently shedding the virus in their stool. To this point, the virus has only been identified in sewage, and there have been no reports of anyone becoming paralyzed as a result of it.

 

Jane Clegg, the chief nurse for the National Health Service (NHS) in London, was quoted as saying in the statement that "the majority of Londoners are fully protected against polio and won't need to take any further action." However, "the NHS will begin reaching out to parents of children aged under 5 in London who are not up to date with their polio vaccinations to invite them to get protected," Clegg said.

Article source : https://www.livescience.com/poliovirus-in-london-sewage

Image source   : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/vaksin-vaksinasi-obat-pencegahan-3741298/

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