Poliovirus in the wastewater: Experts warn of possible risks!

Poliovirus in the wastewater: Experts warn of possible risks!

In Germany, traces of poliovirus were detected in the wastewater in several cities. These alarm signs appear in cities such as Munich, Bonn, Cologne, Hamburg, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Mainz, Stuttgart and Berlin. The proof goes back to rehearsals, which were taken in Berlin between the beginning of November 2024 and in early December 2024 in Stuttgart. The determined viruses do not come from the wild type of the poliovirus, but are parts of the weakened viruses that are used in the swallowing vaccination. These can be excreted up to six weeks after vaccination of vaccinated people, such as merkur.de

Virologist Christian Drosten from Berlin emphasizes that the risk of infection is extremely low, especially for vaccinated persons. However, he emphasizes that it makes sense to check personal vaccination protection. Polio, also known as paralysis, is a highly contagious viral disease that can also affect adults. Transfer routes are primarily due to chair and direct contact transmission (hand-mouth). The classic symptoms include fever, headache and muscle pain, while serious consequences such as paralysis and meningitis only occur in 0.1 to 1 percent of the infected

vaccination situation and recommendations

The constant vaccination commission (STIKO) continues to recommend vaccination against polio, especially for infants and refresher vaccinations between the ages of nine to 16. When traveling to polio risk areas, additional vaccination should also be considered. However, it remains unclear whether the virus load found in Germany comes from abroad or whether local transmissions have already taken place. So far, suspected cases on polio are not known in Germany and other affected European countries.

The situation in Europe is not isolated. Polioviruses were also detected in Spanish, Polish, British and Finnish samples. These latest finds are an urgent indication that polio-free regions are not protected from being reintroduced. The European Center for Prevention and Control of Diseases (ECDC) emphasizes the importance of high vaccination rates in the population in order to minimize the risk of reintroduction. In particular, care must be taken to ensure that disadvantaged population groups with lower vaccination rates are not overlooked.

monitoring and security

In order to monitor virus circulation, ongoing genetic examinations and recommendation to increase vaccination in the population are of crucial importance. In order to close immunity gaps, national health authorities should continuously monitor the vaccination rates. The ECDC calls for increased surveillance, including the detection of acute bedding paralysis and environmental monitoring measures.

The global initiative to exterminate Polio has achieved great success in the past. The WHO already declared the European region to be polio -free in 2002. However, there is a challenge to stop the virus transmission and ensure that the population is adequately protected. Historically, Polio was an important cause of mortality and disabilities.

in the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA) shows an interactive map of the ECDC countries that are affected by the high risk of poliovirus transmissions. This card follows the developments and facilitates an overview of the current vaccination status and viral circulation in different regions, as well as the ECDC continuously leads current data on the polio situation in Europe.

The population is urgently asked to catch up on omissions in the event of vaccinations as soon as possible in order to effectively protect the health of everyone.