LONDON:  British health experts have detected poliovirus in samples in London, 19 years after it was eradicated in 2003.

The poliovirus found in samples of sewage taken from the London Beckton Sewage Treatment Works was likely brought into London by someone who had just had a live poliovirus vaccination abroad, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The virus has developed further and is now known as a "vaccine-derived" poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2). In extremely rare cases, VDPV2 can cause significant illness, such as paralysis, in persons who have not received all of the recommended vaccinations.

The virus, however, has only been found in sewage samples, and the UKHSA claimed that there have been no related paralysis cases in the nation. Further research is being conducted to see whether any community transmission is taking place, it was stated. Officials asserted that the risk to the general public is incredibly low and that vaccine-derived poliovirus is uncommon.

"Poliovirus produced from vaccines has the potential to spread, especially in areas with lower vaccination rates. Rarely, it can result in paralysis in those who have not received all recommended vaccinations "According to a statement from Vanessa Saliba, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA.

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