Polio variant linked to Nigeria detected in four European countries

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has called for cautious measures to curtail the spread of poliovirus following the discovery of a strain of polio linked to Nigeria in 14 cities across Europe.

La Razón, a Spanish news outlet, reported that Type 2 poliovirus was detected in the wastewater of 14 cities in Germany, Spain, Poland, Finland and the United Kingdom.

According to the ECDC this poliovirus variant was first discovered in Nigeria in 2020.

After decades of battling polio, a highly infectious disease that can cause paralysis if not treated, Nigeria was declared polio-free by the World Health Organisation in 2020.

This was after three years of no confirmed cases of wild poliovirus in the country.

Following this declaration, the country slowly witnessed the circulation of the Variant Polio Virus (cVPV2).

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Europe, on the other hand, was declared polio-free in 2002. The poliovirus was detected in at least one European country every year between 2015 and 2022.

The ECDC has bemoaned the insufficient vaccination of children in Europe.

It estimated that 2.4 million children in the EU and European Economic Area may not have been vaccinated against polio between 2012 and 2021, warning that a polio outbreak could occur if unvaccinated populations are exposed to the virus.

“Every country must remain vigilant for the detection of the presence of the poliovirus through surveillance systems, be ready to act quickly if any circulation of the virus is detected, and commit to maintaining high vaccination coverage in every community annually until global eradication of poliomyelitis is achieved,” the ECDC director noted.

The ECDC also advised increased vaccination rates to prevent a possible outbreak.