Polio warning as virus spreads in Britain for first time in 40 years

Know the warning signs as the disease returns

POLIO is spreading in Britain for the first time in nearly 40 years, health officials have warned, as they declared a national incident and urged people to make sure they are vaccinated.

Britain was proclaimed polio-free in 2003 with the last “wild” case detected in 1984, making the new outbreak the first transmission event since the 1980s.

The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) said that a polio virus had been detected in sewage from north and east London in February. Although this would not normally be a concern, a mutated version of the same strain was picked up in April and May, suggesting there has been ongoing spread between individuals over several months, which has allowed the virus to evolve.

Health experts are also concerned doctors no longer recognise the symptoms of polio as it has not been circulating for decades, meaning cases could have been misdiagnosed. GPS are being asked to look out for signs of the virus.

The virus was originally shed from an individual who was vaccinated with a live virus abroad, but has since mutated into a type more like wild polio, which, on rare occasions, can infect the spinal cord and base of the brain, causing paralysis and breathing problems.

So far, there have been no reported cases of polio, and health experts say the risk is low for children and adults who have had three doses of vaccine, but urged unvaccinated individuals to come forward for jabs and boosters.

Dr David Elliman, a consultant paediatrician at Great Ormond Street Hospital,

said: “Although the uptake of polio vaccines is high in the UK, there are children who are unimmunised and at risk of developing polio if in contact with this virus. The risk is small, but it is easily preventable by the vaccine.”

Children are routinely vaccinated against polio, but north London has some of the worst uptake rates in the country, with about one third of youngsters in Hackney and the City of London failing to have a first jab at 12 months, and nearly one quarter missing a shot at 24 months. Three-dose coverage was below 85 per cent in eight out of 33 London local authorities in the 2020-21 academic year, and around one third of children have not had a pre-school or teenage booster.

A recent report by the UKHSA also found that in Hillingdon in west London, just 35 per cent of teenagers had been boosted against polio, the worst uptake in the country.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: “Vaccinederived poliovirus has the potential to spread, particularly in communities where vaccine uptake is lower. On rare occasions it can cause paralysis in people who are not fully vaccinated so if you or your child are not up to date with your polio vaccinations it’s important you contact your GP to catch up or if unsure check your red book.

“Most of the UK population will be protected from vaccination in childhood, but in some communities with low vaccine coverage, individuals may remain at risk.”

Health experts believe the virus was

Most people with polio will not have any symptoms and will fight off the infection without even realising they were carrying it.

A small number will experience a flu-like illness three to 21 days after infection.

Symptoms, which can include a fever, sore throat, headache, nausea and abdominal pain, will usually pass in a week with no need for treatment.

But in a small number of cases, between one in 100 and one in 1,000 infections, polio attacks the nerves in the spine and base of the brain.

This can cause paralysis, usually in the legs, that develops over hours or days. If the breathing muscles are affected, it can be life threatening.

After paralytic polio, movement often returns slowly over weeks and months, but many are left with persistent issues.