Polio Virus Identified In Waste Samples, One Million Children In London To Be Given Booster Dose Vaccine

Illustration of polio vaccine. (Wikimedia Commons/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

JAKARTA - Children living in London will be given booster doses of the polio vaccine, following the discovery of the polio virus in sewers in the British capital, health authorities said Wednesday.

The UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization said a targeted booster dose of the polio vaccine would be given to all children between the ages of 1 and 9 in all areas of London.

"This will ensure a high level of protection from paralysis and help reduce the further spread of the virus," the UK's Health Safety Administration (UKHSA) said in a statement announcing the move.

Around 1 million children in that age range live in the London area, according to the latest data from the UK's Office for National Statistics.

UKHSA said 116 virus isolates had been identified in 19 waste samples collected in London between February and July.

While most samples contained vaccine-like viruses, some showed "sufficient mutations to be classified as vaccine-derived poliovirus."

The UKHSA says this is more concerning, as the virus behaves more similarly to "wild polio and may, on rare occasions, cause cases of paralysis in unvaccinated individuals."

Authorities stress vaccination efforts are a precautionary measure.

"No cases of polio have been reported and for a large part of the population, who have been fully vaccinated, the risk is low. But we know areas in London, where the polio virus is transmitted, have some of the lowest vaccination rates." Vanessa Saliba, epidemiologist consultant at UKHSA.

The last case of polio in the UK was in 1984, according to a UKHSA statement.

"Decades ago before we introduced the polio vaccination program, about 8,000 people would be paralyzed every year," added Saliba.