New technique cuts time to detect polio in half, study finds

Swifter vaccine responses should be facilitated by the new polio testing technique, the researchers say. Photograph: Rehan Khan/EPA

Polio could be detected in wastewater in half the time using a new technique, helping public health authorities to respond quickly to deadly outbreaks, a study has found.

The research in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), supported by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), represents the first time that (DDNS) has been used to detect polio, reducing the average testing time from 42 to 23 days, with an accuracy rate exceeding 99%.