UK children aged 1-9 yrs offered Polio vaccine boosters after virus found in London sewers

In the UK, all children aged between 1 and 9 years will receive Polio vaccine booster doses after health experts discovered traces of the virus in London sewers triggering fear of a potential outbreak. The move comes after the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that precautionary booster shots will help ensure curtailing the possible spread. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is expecting to complete rollout in the next four to six weeks, according to a statement released by London.

"Following the discovery of type 2 vaccine-derived poliovirus in sewage in the north and east London, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that a targeted inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) booster dose should be offered to all children between the ages of 1 and 9 in all London boroughs," the statement said.

"This will ensure a high level of protection from paralysis and help reduce further spread of the virus," it added.

Poliovirus traced in London sewers

Some 116 samples of vaccine-like poliovirus were detected in the sewage water of eight London boroughs between February and July 2022, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The experts classified the mutations under the vaccine-derived "wild" category, capable of causing paralysis in non-immunised children. Areas of Barnet, Brent, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, and Waltham Forest have reported at least one positive sample of the lethal virus, the British Health Agency said.

Following the report, areas in London with the lowest vaccination rates recorded scattered cases of polio infection. "But we know the areas in London where the poliovirus is being transmitted have some of the lowest vaccination rates. This is why the virus is spreading in these communities and puts those residents not fully vaccinated at greater risk," said consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, Dr Vanessa Saliba, as quoted by Independent. However, she stressed the majority population is still out of mass outbreak risks since they are fully vaccinated.

Is the UK edging towards a potential polio outbreak?

The UK recorded the last case of polio in 1984. The disease itself was almost eradicated from the face of Earth after global health organisations ran targeted campaigns to mitigate threats from the morbid virus after it became a global problem in the 1980s. For instance, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Africa "polio-free" marking it a massive milestone in healthcare.

Now, the UK is currently in a frenzy over the rediscovery of the virus in sewage water. However, coming to the hand-counted cases in London, UKHSA flagged that with over 71% of children (aged 5 or under) vaccinated, the risk is "negligible." Nevertheless, for those pockets of the country not immunised still, the vaccine-like poliovirus (VDPV2), pose a worrying risk of causing paralysis, nervous attack, and eventually death of the infected. With scattered cases reported from Malawi in February and now in London sewers, experts have advised the governments against being complacent about polio.

(Image: AP)