POLIO booster shots will be “urgently offered” to one million kids as health bosses seek to contain the UK outbreak.
Scientists are still detecting the virus – which can cause paralysis and even be fatal – across several parts of London.
Investigators have found at least one positive sample in sewage in Barnet, Brent, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest which all have low vaccination rates.
In response, the vaccines watchdog has called for children between the ages of one and nine in all London boroughs to be “urgently offered” an extra polio shot, around a million kids.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s aim is to boost protection against paralysis.
And to raise immunity among kids in a bid to interrupt transmission.
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All parents in the capital with young children will now be sent an invitation letter in the next four weeks.
Dr Vanessa Saliba, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA said: “No cases of polio have been reported and for the majority of the population, who are fully vaccinated, the risk is low.
“But we know the areas in London where the poliovirus is being transmitted have some of the lowest vaccination rates. This is why the virus is spreading in these communities and puts those residents not fully vaccinated at greater risk.
“It is vital parents ensure their children are fully vaccinated for their age.
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“Following JCVI advice all children aged one to nine years in London need to have a dose of polio vaccine now – whether it’s an extra booster dose or just to catch up with their routine vaccinations.
“It will ensure a high level of protection from paralysis. This may also help stop the virus spreading further.”
Health chiefs declared a “national incident” earlier in the summer after detecting the same strain in London sewage samples since February – a clear sign of community spread.
It has now been picked up 116 times from 19 sewage samples collected in the capital.
But despite clear evidence of an outbreak, no cases have yet come forward.
Experts say the strain detected in the UK is the same as that which paralysed a man in New York last month. And the identical bug has now also been found in Israel.
Three in ten five-year-olds in London are not fully vaccinated against the bug when starting school.
What are the 6 signs of polio you need to know
The majority of people who get infected with poliovirus will not have any visible symptoms.
About one in four people with poliovirus infection will have flu-like symptoms that may include:
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Tiredness
- Nausea
- Headache
- Stomach pain
Symptoms usually last anywhere between two to 10 days before they go away on their own.
In very rare cases, polio can cause difficulty using your muscles, usually in the legs.
This is not usually permanent and movement should slowly return over the next few weeks or months.
Jane Clegg, Chief Nurse for the NHS in London, said: “While the majority of Londoners are protected from polio, the NHS will shortly be contacting parents of eligible children aged one to nine years old to offer them a top-up dose to ensure they have maximum protection from the virus.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said he recognised that parents and guardians would be concerned about the detection of polio in London.
However, he added that nobody has yet been diagnosed with the virus and said the risk to the wider population is low.
He said: “On the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the NHS will now offer all children aged one to nine across the capital a polio vaccine booster dose, starting with the most impacted boroughs, so we can ensure they have the best possible protection and we reduce the chances of transmission.
"We know many countries, including Belgium and Portugal, offer an additional dose as part of their childhood vaccination programme, and the JCVI has considered international data on safety and effectiveness in forming their recommendation, which I have accepted.
“Vaccines offer the best defence to children, and those around them, so I would encourage families to ensure they are up to date with their routine jabs, and to come forward for the polio booster as soon as they are contacted by the NHS.”
Most people who get polio do not have symptoms but some suffer mild, flu-like issues such as a high temperature, extreme tiredness, headaches, vomiting, a stiff neck and muscle pain.
In one in 100 to one in 1,000 infections, the polio virus attacks the nerves in the spine and base of the brain.
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This can cause paralysis, usually in the legs, that develops over hours or days.
If the breathing muscles are affected, polio can be life-threatening.
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