• A type of poliovirus derived from vaccines has been detected in London sewage samples.
• No human cases of polio have been found in Britain, where the disease was eradicated two decades ago.
• A massive global effort has come close to wiping out polio but not yet.

Poliovirus in London Sewage samples. In Britain, where the devastating disease was completely eradicated two decades ago; no human cases of polio have been discovered.
WHO and British health officials announced on Wednesday; that a kind of poliovirus originating from immunizations; had been found in samples of the sewage from London.

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In a statement, the WHO reported that environmental samples from the British capital; contained “type 2 vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV2).”

It emphasised that “no linked cases of paralysis have been discovered”; and noted that “it is vital to remember that the virus has been isolated from environmental samples only.”

However, it stated that “poliovirus in any form; wherever, is a threat to children everywhere.”

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