National incident declared over polio virus findings in London sewage

Waste from the Beckton sewage treatment works in Newham tested positive for vaccine-derived poliovirus in February Photograph: Jason Hawkes/Getty Images

Public health officials have declared a national incident after routine surveillance of wastewater in north and east London found evidence of community transmission of poliovirus for the first time.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said waste from the Beckton sewage treatment works in Newham tested positive for vaccine-derived poliovirus in February and that further positive samples had been detected since.