Parents of children under five in Wales are being urged to make sure their children are up to date with their vaccinations after polio virus was found in UK waste water. Public health experts are concerned about a "dual threat" of falling vaccination uptake and the potential transmission of the virus in the UK.
Public Health Wales data shows that uptake of the 'six in one' vaccination for polio and other diseases has fallen during the pandemic and has now dipped to 94% – below the 95% level recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for all childhood immunisation programmes to help prevent the spread of avoidable serious diseases. Polio virus was identified in waste water surveillance in London in June 2022 although no cases of disease have yet been confirmed in Wales or the UK.
Most people with polio virus don't display any symptoms and won't know they're infected because they are protected from severe disease by the vaccine. For others it can cause temporary or permanent paralysis and can be life-threatening. Polio was eradicated in Europe in 2003 and the last case of polio in the UK was in 1984.
