UK Health Security Agency says evidence of limited community transmission of virus found in wastewater
Public health officials have declared a national incident after routine surveillance of wastewater in north and eastSecurity Agency said waste from the Beckton sewage treatment works in Newham tested positive for vaccine-derived poliovirus in February and that further positive samples had been detected since.
“Most of the UK population will be protected from vaccination in childhood, but in some communities with low vaccine coverage, individuals may remain at risk,” she added. The outbreak is believed to have been triggered by a person returning to the UK after having the oral polio vaccine and spreading it locally. It is unclear how much the virus has spread, but it may be confined to a single household or an extended family.
Most people who become infected with polio have no symptoms, but some develop a flu-like illness up to three weeks later. In between one in 100 and one in 1,000 infections, the virus attacks nerves in the spine and the base of the brain, which can lead to paralysis, most commonly in the legs. On rare occasions, the virus attacks muscles used for breathing, which can be fatal.
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