Poliovirus Detected in London Sewage, UK Officials Warn

The U.K. Health Security Agency warned Wednesday that a strain of the disease that can cause paralysis may be spreading among people in the north and east of the city.

An investigation has been launched by the UKHSA to understand the scope of the spread. The agency advised that the virus poses a low risk to the general public but has the potential to spread in areas with patchy vaccine coverage

If you or your child aren't up to date with their vaccinations, it's a good idea to contact your GP to make sure you're up to date. The majority of the U.K. population will be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases in childhood, but some people may still be at risk.

The U.K. was declared free of the disease in 2003 due to a high rate of vaccinations. In recent years, the rate of childhood vaccination has dipped across the country and especially in certain pockets of London, so the health agency is now urging residents to check on their children's vaccine status.

The UKHSA and Medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency monitors for the disease in sewage samples. The UKHSA says that in a typical year, the agencies detect one to three unrelated polioviruses in the sewage system, but these are usually isolated events linked to people who have received the oral vaccine.

The oral vaccine contains live, but weakened, polioviruses that can be shed in the stool of vaccine recipients and end up in the sewer. The level of immunity in communities with poor Sanitation can be boosted by the spread of the poop bound polioviruses. In some instances, the viruses have evolved to behave like wild, naturally-occuringviruses that can cause illness in people who aren't fully vaccined.

Due to the risk, many countries, including the U.S., only use "inactivated" polio vaccines, rather than oral vaccines, and for the eradication of the disease, all countries will need to stop using the oral vaccine.

The sewage samples were collected between February and May. The most common type of vaccine-derived polioviruses was found among these. According to the UKHSA, VDPV2 can not cause paralysis in people who are not fully vaccineed.

According to the statement, the presence of VDPV2 suggests that people in North and East London are getting the disease. No cases of paralysis have been reported despite the fact that the virus has only been found in sewage.

The majority of Londoners are fully protected against the disease and won't need to take any further action, but the health service will begin reaching out to parents of children under the age of 5 who are not up to date with their vaccinations.

Live Science is a future company. All rights belong to the person. It may not be published, broadcast, or redistributed.