First case of highly infectious polio found in UK since 1984

According to officials, POLIO is spreading in the UK for the first time in decades.

After noticing evidence of the virus spreading between people, health officials encouraged Brits to make sure their children’s vaccinations are current.

Since April, experts have found the same bug in samples of London’s sewage, which is a blatant sign of a widespread outbreak.

Although no confirmed cases have yet been reported in the UK, the UKHSA reported finding samples in East and North London.

This “suggests it is possible there has been some spread among closely-linked individuals,” according to officials.

They claimed that these cases may be passing the viral strain in their faeces.

There have not yet been any recorded cases of paralysis, although investigations are still ongoing.

There is concern that the virus may be circulating locally in London and could spread more widely, according to Prof. Nicholas Grassly, head of the vaccination epidemiology research department at Imperial College London.

According to doctors today, the resurgence of polio in the UK serves as a reminder that the disease has not yet been wiped out.

In Britain, the last known case of polio occurred in 1984, and in 2003, the nation was deemed polio-free.

Before a vaccine was developed in the 1950s, epidemics would leave thousands paralysed each year and cause hundreds of fatalities.

The oral polio vaccine caused a traveller, most likely from Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Nigeria, to shed the virus in their faeces, according to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) scientists.

The same strain of the insect, however, has been frequently found in sewage samples since May, indicating that it has since mutated and spread to other people.

In order to identify the cause and increase immunisation in impacted areas, health officials have now started an urgent inquiry.

No instances have surfaced despite abundant evidence of an outbreak.

Officials also maintain that there is relatively little overall risk to the public.
The risk to the general public is very minimal due to the rarity of vaccine-derived poliovirus, according to Dr. Vanessa Saliba, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA.

“Poliovirus produced from vaccines has the potential to spread, particularly in areas with lower vaccination rates.

If you or your child is not up to date with your polio vaccinations, it’s crucial to contact your GP to get caught up. If in doubt, check your red book. On rare occasions, it can cause paralysis in those who are not fully vaccinated.

Children under the age of five are most frequently affected by polio, an infectious disease that can be passed from one person to another.

The illness targets the neurological system and can, in rare circumstances, result in paralysis.

Because polio is highly contagious, even healthy people can spread the disease.

The NHS normal children immunisation regimen in the UK includes the polio vaccine.

When a child is 8, 12, and 16 weeks old, it is administered as a jab. Additionally, two more doses are given at ages 3 years, 4 months, and 14 years.

However, one in ten five-year-olds in London lacks the full dose of the disease vaccine.

Polio was around for a very long time prior to the onset of epidemics, which happened at the end of the 19th century.

In Victorian Britain, it ravaged kids and injured their spines.