The United Kingdom has been declared polio-free since 2003. However, the new reports confirm otherwise.
According to United Nations Health Security Agency, vaccine-driven poliovirus has been detected in the sewage sample from east London. It was further suggested that an outbreak of infection can cause the spread of polio leading to community transmission.
Polio is a life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. It generally attacks the nervous system leading to paralysis or even death. Poliovirus can be transmitted in areas with poor sanitization. Moreso, an infected person with poor hygiene, can spread it by touching the food or water of an unaffected person.
Therefore, it is advised to wash your hands before eating food and maintain proper hygiene. Along with that, it is also suggested to get immunized against the virus with the help of vaccination.
Keeping this in mind, the British government has urged unvaccinated people to seek vaccines as soon as possible.
The health authorities revealed that the United Kingdom offers injected form of polio vaccination which cannot be detected from the feces. However, several countries still offer oral vaccines, which can be tracked from human waste.
Since Polio has been eliminated from every country in the world except Afghanistan and Pakistan, the suspicions fall largely on the latter.
While zero cases of Polio have been reported as of now, according to The Guardian, UKHSA has declared the detection of the virus a “national incident.”
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