London sewage has revealed the presence of the polio virus for the second time this year, as UK government funding for global polio eradication was recently reduced. The public health experts warning about this decision say it will weaken both international and domestic disease protection systems.
Polio is a highly contagious virus that mainly affects children under the age of five and can cause paralysis or even death when it attacks the breathing muscles.
British authorities routinely carry out sewage testing to detect the virus, as they typically only find a few cases of the virus each year. In the latest finding, Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, called the detection “very worrying”, especially in areas with low vaccination rates.
He asked parents to verify that their children have received all required vaccine shots. The doctor stated that current conditions show that the virus remains active throughout the city.
The London strain functions as a vaccine-derived poliovirus that is transmitted in locations where people have no vaccine protection. Global vaccination efforts have succeeded in nearly eradicating polio, yet the disease persists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) received cuts from the British government, which campaigners condemned as representing a wider pattern of aid cuts the government made to support military funding.
The decision by ONE campaign director Adrian Lovett, an anti-poverty organization, shows both short-sighted and self-defeating results as it reduces global vaccine protection, resulting in greater domestic health risks. The sample collection that took place on March 2 represents the tenth case of detection since 2024.
The research work of Dr. Kathleen O’Reilly, who works as an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, remains unknown because researchers have not determined whether the London virus originated through international travel or early local transmission.
She explained that a positive sewage test does not indicate an actual case of paralytic polio, but that hospitals and GP practices should prepare for possible emergencies.
The vaccination rate for polio vaccines in Britain experienced a small decline, dropping the vaccination rate from 95% vaccination of one-year-old children between 2012 and 2015 to 92% vaccination in 2022-2023.
Health officials stressed the importance of catching up on missed doses to maintain protection. Dr. Vanessa Saliba from the UK Health Security Agency explained that ongoing sewage monitoring activities are essential elements for national and international polio control efforts. In her assessment, the general public is at very low risk, but she advised parents to ensure their children receive all required vaccinations.
