London children to receive extra polio vaccine in September

The United Kingdom Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has announced on Wednesday that will vaccinate against polio to children between the ages of one and nineliving in London and the metropolitan region. Since February there have been detected the disease more than 100 times in wastewater from the Barnet, Brent, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest areas.

The campaign will begin in September on an urgent basis, and will reach more than one million childrens (including those who have already been vaccinated). In the next 30 days, family physicians will contact parents to offer vaccination. The target is reduce the risk of contagion y increase the immunity levels among the youngest children to make it more difficult for the virus to spread.

Polio-free Europe and United Kingdom

From 2003, Europe is declared polio-free and the World Health Organization (WHO) considers that United Kingdom also is free of infection “with a low risk of transmission due to a high level of vaccination coverage throughout the population”. But the virus levels and the “genetic diversitya”, the authorities warn, point out that there are some type of transmission.

The polio is especially aggressive with childrenwho may suffer lifelong paralysis. Symptoms may take up to 30 days to manifest, during which time those infected may become contagious. Common signs include headache, fever, muscle aches, vomiting and fatigue.