The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), working with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has found polio in sewage samples collected from the London Beckton Sewage Treatment Works, which serves around four million people in north and east London. The infection, which is not usually found in the UK, can prove life-threatening so it’s vital the warning signs are heeded.
People are also being urged to ensure their polio vaccines are up to date after an outbreak of the virus was detected in UK sewage samples.
People are also being urged to ensure their polio vaccines are up to date after an outbreak of the virus was detected in UK sewage samples.
What are symptoms to spot?
According to the NHS, most people who get polio do not have symptoms.
Some people get mild, flu-like symptoms, such as:
- A high temperature
- Extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- Headaches
- Being sick (vomiting)
- A stiff neck
- Muscle pain.
“These symptoms usually last up to 10 days,” adds the health body.
The NHS continues: “Rarely, polio can cause difficulty using your muscles (paralysis), usually in the legs. This can happen over hours or days.
“It’s not usually permanent and movement will slowly come back over the next few weeks or months.”
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you have travelled to a country where polio is found and have polio symptoms.
What we know so far
Experts have raised the alarm after several genetically-linked viruses were found in samples between February and May.
