Britain is launching a polio booster vaccination campaign for children under 10 in London after confirming the virus is spreading in the capital for the first time since the 1980s.
Britain’s health safety agency has identified 116 polioviruses from 19 sewage samples in London this year, after first issuing a warning about the virus in June. The levels of polio virus found and the genetic diversity suggest there is transmission in a number of London areas, the agency announced today.
No cases have yet been identified but, in an effort to prevent a possible outbreak, doctors are now urging children aged 1-9 for booster shots, alongside the wider vaccination campaign already announced.
Immunization rates in the greater London area vary, but are on average below the 95% coverage rate recommended by the World Health Organization to keep polio under control.
Polio once killed or paralyzed thousands of children worldwide each year. There is no cure, but vaccination has brought the type of disease that has a natural etiology closer to an end. Less than 1% of children who become infected become paralyzed.
Source: RES-MPE
Source: Capital
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