A disease supposed to have been eradicated from several countries, the poliomyelitis seems to be making a comeback. In June 2022, traces of the poliomyelitis virus were found in wastewater from a treatment plant in North London in the United Kingdom. This discovery of the virus eradicated since 2003 in the country prompted the government to offer a polio vaccine booster to all children between one and nine years old.
“No one has been diagnosed with the virus and the risk is low for the population”nevertheless wanted to reassure Steve Barclay, Minister of Health, recalling that this booster dose was a measure taken “to ensure that children have the best possible protection” before finding a positive case.
Whilst no one has been diagnosed with polio in the UK and the risk remains low, I’m accepting the advice from the JCVI to offer children aged 1-9 in London a booster. Areas where it’s been detected will be first. @NHSEnglandLDN will contact parents when it’s their child’s turn. https://t.co/Yty1XsAWxr
—Steve Barclay (@SteveBarclay) August 10, 2022
An extremely contagious disease, poliomyelitis invades the nervous system and can cause permanent paralysis in just a few hours. The first symptoms are manifested by fever, fatigue, headaches before vomiting, stiffness in the neck and then paralysis of several limbs.
New York State Fear”hundreds or even thousands” of cases
While no one has been infected in the UK, across the Atlantic Ocean, the US recorded its first case of paralyzing polio on July 21, the first since 2013. According to health authorities, the infected person would have been in close contact with an individual who received an oral vaccine, no longer used in the United States since 2000. The infected young man went to the hospital after the paralysis of one of his legs, symptom current of polio.
As a result of this identification, state wastewater testing was conducted, where “the virus was detected in sewage samples from June and July“, indicates a communicated published this Thursday, August 4. The health authorities invite the unvaccinated children and adults to do so quickly. In New York State, polio vaccination coverage is quite low: while it reaches 79% statewide, it only goes up to 60% in Rockland Countywhere the first patient was identified.
“Most patients are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. So there are hundreds, even thousands of cases (…) for us to be able to detect a paralyzed case”warns Dr Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, Rockland County Health Commissioner, to the BBC.
“Based on past polio outbreaks, New Yorkers should know that for every case of paralytic polio seen, there may be hundreds more people infected.”, State Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett said. This first case would therefore in fact not be only the submerged part of the iceberg. “What we know is clear: the danger of poliomyelitis is present in New York today”she continues, expecting hundreds of infections.
For every one case of paralytic polio observed, there may be hundreds of others infected. Coupled with the latest wastewater findings, it’s clear: polio is a threat to unvaccinated New Yorkers & children today.
— Dr. Mary T. Bassett (@DrMaryTBassett) August 5, 2022
In France, where poliomyelitis has practically disappeared and the vaccination coverage is close to 100%“only vaccinal polioviruses as well as a virus derived from vaccinal poliovirus type 2, without resumption of virulence, all imported, have been demonstrated since 2000 in clinical samples, without any warning sign that could suggest poliomyelitis in patients sampled“, has indicated Public Health France on June 30.
Sources:
- Urging Immunization, State Department of Health Updates New Yorkers On Polio Detected In New York State, New York State Department of HealthAugust 4, 2022
- Polio alert in New York, which could group “hundreds or even thousands” of cases, The ParisianAugust 9, 2022
