Charles beard, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Opera House, London

L0ondon, Aug 11 UK health officials are set to offer a targeted inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) booster dose to all children between the ages of 1 and 9 years to limit the spread of the virus' outbreak in London.This followed the discovery of Type 2 vaccine-derived poliovirus in sewage in north and east London.According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), 116 samples of vaccine-like poliovirus have been detected in the sewage water in London between February and July 2022.While most are vaccine-like virus, only a few have sufficient mutations to be classified as vaccine derived poliovirus (VDPV2). But the VDPV2, like "wild" polio, is capable of causing paralysis in unvaccinated individuals, the UKHSA said.The National Health Service aims to complete the rollout of the booster dose within the next four to six weeks in Barnet, Brent, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, Waltham Forest - the areas in London where the poliovirus is being transmitted."These have some of the lowest vaccination rates, which is why the virus is spreading in these communities and puts those residents not fully vaccinated at greater risk," said Dr Vanessa Saliba, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, in a statement.But so far, "no cases of polio have been reported and for the majority of the population, who are fully vaccinated, the risk is low," Saliba said.Polio shots are given in routine National Health Service (NHS) childhood vaccinations at eight, 12 and 16 weeks as part of the 6-in-1 vaccine. Boosters are offered at the age of three and 14."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," said Jane Clegg, chief nurse for the NHS in London.A viral disease that can affect the nervous system and cause muscle weakness, the polio virus typically enters the body through the mouth, usually from hands contaminated with faecal matter of an infected person. Respiratory and oral-to-oral transmission through saliva may also occur.Polio is very contagious, and a person can spread the virus even if they are not sick. Symptoms, which can be mild and flu-like (fatigue, fever, headache, stiffness, muscle pain, vomiting), can take up to 30 days to appear, during which, an infected individual can be shedding virus to others. Though rare, some polio cases can result in paralysis or death.The last case of wild polio contracted in the UK was confirmed in 1984 and the UK was declared free of the virus in 2003. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where the infection is still classified as endemic.Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Charles BeardFOLLOW

Charles beard, Latest News

London, Aug 12 A team of international researchers, including from All India Institute of Medical Sciences in India, ... ...

London, Aug 12 Explosions at the Saki military airfield on Ukraine's occupied Crimean Peninsula have significantly weakened the ... ...

London, Aug 12 In an unprecedented first in 139 years of the Ashes, next summer's series will not ... ...

London, Aug 12 All-rounder Dwayne Bravo scripted history by becoming the first-ever cricketer to scalp 600 wickets in ... ...

London, Aug 12 Drought could be declared for some parts of England on Friday, as Britain bakes in ... ...

London, Aug 11 Defender Millie Bright on Thursday signed a new contract with Chelsea Women for three more ... ...

London, Aug 11 Olympic curling champion Eve Muirhead on Thursday announced her retirement from the sport, calling it ... ...

L0ondon, Aug 11 UK health officials are set to offer a targeted inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) booster dose ... ...