UK health agencies have expanded surveillance of sewage for polio virus to areas beyond London “on a precautionary basis.”
The roll out of surveillance by the UK Health Security Agency and the Medicines and Healthcare product Regulatory Agency takes in sewage treatment works covering parts of Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Bradford, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol, Bury, Castle Point, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, North Tyneside, Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, Nottingham, Preston, Salford, Sheffield and Watford.
“This is on a precautionary basis to determine whether the virus is spreading to other areas. To date, sewage sampling has been conducted in London and Glasgow, and no polio virus has been detected in Glasgow,” the agencies said.
The areas included in the roll out, the agencies said, were chosen on the basis risk factors including:
population groups living in the area with links to countries overseas where wild poliovirus is still found or where live oral polio vaccine is still used; areas with low polio vaccination coverage;
areas with pockets of under-vaccinated communities; and
areas adjacent to the locations in London where poliovirus has been detected.
Consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, Dr Vanessa Saliba, said: “No cases of polio have been reported and for the majority of the population, who are fully vaccinated, the risk is low. We are now expanding the sewage sampling nationally to areas that are at highest risk of new poliovirus importations and areas most likely to see spread of poliovirus from London.”
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