Polio catch-up jabs rolled out as medics warn there is no time for complacency
POLIO vaccines will be pushed to kids in London to stop the Victorian disease bouncing back.
The NHS will start a catch-up campaign next term to reach unvaccinated children under the age of 12.
Proof of the debilitating virus appeared in the city for the first time in nearly two decades last year, showing it is spreading under the radar.
Just 69.9 per cent of London children aged five have had their booster compared to 83.4 per cent in the rest of England.
Dr Vanessa Saliba, of the UKHSA, said: “While there are early signs of reduced spread in London, we need to continue to improve uptake of childhood vaccines in all communities.
“Until we reach every last child, we cannot be sure that we will not see a case of paralysis.
“Even a single case of paralysis from polio would be a tragedy as it is completely preventable.
“Only by improving vaccination coverage across all communities can we ensure resilience against future disease threats.”
Polio — once common in the 1950s — was discovered in London sewage water early last year for the first time since 2003.
The virus can cause paralysis in rare cases and can be life-threatening.
The World Health Organization requires evidence of 12 months of zero detections before the UK is no longer considered to be a polio “infected” country.
The UKHSA said 87.6 per cent of children in London are receiving all their polio vaccinations by the time they turn one, compared to 92.1 per cent in England as a whole.
The NHS in London will deliver a catch-up campaign, offering polio jabs and other routine childhood vaccines such as measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) to unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children aged one to 11 during the summer term.
Children will receive vaccines through a combination of primary school and community clinics, with a particular focus on supporting communities with the lowest levels of vaccine uptake, the UKHSA said.
What are the symptoms of polio?
Most people who get polio do not have symptoms.
Some people get mild, flu-like symptoms, such as:
- a high temperature
- extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- headaches
- being sick (vomiting)
- a stiff neck
- muscle pain
These symptoms usually last up to 10 days.
Rarely, polio can lead to more serious symptoms that affect the brain and nerves, such as weakness in your muscles (paralysis), usually in the legs. This can happen over hours or days.
If the paralysis affects the muscles used for breathing, it can be life threatening.
Source: The NHS
The UKHSA said a total of 135 poliovirus type 2 isolates have been identified in 30 sewage samples collected in London between February 8 and November 8 last year.
While the sewage surveillance was expanded to cover the whole of London, to date the virus has mainly been detected in samples from North and East London.
In September, sewage surveillance was rolled out to 18 areas outside the capital on a precautionary basis to determine whether the virus had spread further.
To date, the poliovirus found in London has not been detected at any of these sites.
The UKHSA said no paralytic polio cases have been reported in patients in England, but added that there is still a risk that the VDPV2 could cause paralysis in an unvaccinated individual.