The response from the British NHS Health Service – after the polio virus was found in London’s sewerage system, especially in the North and East area – was immediate. Also because with vaccination rates not particularly flattering, especially in some areas of the capital, and the first case of polio with symptoms of paralysis that comes from the US, waiting is certainly not wise. For this reason, the NHS has decided to offer both the booster and the first polio vaccination with PV2 vaccine to children aged 1 to 9.
Polio in London: From the vaccine to the symptoms, what you need to know about the virus
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Children living in areas where vaccination levels are particularly low (Barnet, Brent, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest) will have priority, both to protect them from paralysis and to prevent further spread of the virus . Type 2 polio virus was detected a few months ago in Beckton sewage plants, east London, while another 116 samples of type 2 poliovirus were found in 19 other sewage plants in London between February 8 and July 5 this year, but many of these water samples were classified as vaccine-derived. The vaccine is in fact made up of an inactivated virus, that is, it is unable to infect.
Science Watch
After London, the polio virus also in New York, the authorities are asking to vaccinate the children discovered
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The British Secretary of Health Steve Barclay confirmed that “he understands the concern of families. However, I want to reassure that there have been no diagnoses of polio and that the risk is low overall. Vaccines offer the best protection for children and the people living with them, which is why I encourage families to make sure their children’s vaccination routine is up to date and to get polio boosters when they are contacted by the health service. ”
London’s lowest vaccination rates in the country
Globally, the risk of paralysis is low because most children are vaccinated but vaccination rates in London are lower than in the rest of the country. Jane Clegg, chief nurse of the NHS in London, specified that they are already reaching the parents of children who have not been vaccinated so that they can quickly make an appointment with the general practitioner. “Anyone who is unsure of their children’s vaccination status can check the special booklet. Ukhsa (the government’s health safety agency), in collaboration with Mhra (the regulatory agency for drugs and medical products) has already increased the control on the sewer network to determine the spread of the virus and are monitoring eight other sites in London “. Furthermore, monitoring has already begun even outside London.
First case of polio paralysis in unvaccinated, and in the US it is alarm
Kathleen O’ReillyProfessor of Statistics for Infectious Diseases and expert in polio eradication at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine stressed that “vaccination is the best solution to prevent the disease and the decision of the booster dose is the right one and it is similar to that decided by other high-income countries. “As long as polio viruses are not stopped globally, all countries are at risk, so we must eradicate polio and continue global efforts to achieve this goal.”
The last case of polio in the UK occurred in 1984, decades after the introduction of vaccination. UKHSA and WHO are working closely with New York and Israeli health institutions to study any links between the virus identified in London and that of the other two countries.