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An unusually excessive quantity of poliovirus detections in a number of European international locations in current months has underscored the significance of protecting Europe polio-free, in keeping with an editorial by European Centre for Illness Prevention and Management (ECDC) Director Pamela Rendi Wagner and World Well being Group (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge, which was revealed on Eurosurveillance. “A future without polio remains our goal, but it is by no means a certainty,” warn Rendi-Wagner and Kluge.
‘Each nation should stay vigilant to detect the presence of polioviruses by means of delicate surveillance techniques, ready to behave rapidly if any circulation is detected, and dedicated to maintain excessive vaccination protection in each neighborhood yearly till international polio eradication has been achieved,” mentioned Kluge and Rendi-Wagner.
This reiterates the trail specified by the European Immunization Agenda 2030, the GPEI Polio eradication technique, and the International Polio Surveillance Motion Plan.
Ongoing danger highlighted by current detections
Whereas polio has been a menace to the well being and well-being of kids for hundreds of years, it’s a largely forgotten illness for the overwhelming majority of individuals in Europe. Because of profitable vaccination packages, intensive surveillance and outbreak response, Europe has been polio-free since 2002.
Nevertheless, the virus will proceed to be imported into Europe so long as it circulates globally. Pathogenic poliovirus has been detected in not less than one nation in Europe yearly from 2015 by means of 2022. Extra worryingly, vaccine-derived poliovirus kind 2 was detected in 2024 within the wastewater techniques of 14 cities in 5 international locations, specifically in Spain, Poland, Germany, the UK, and Finland.
These viruses are linked to a lineage that was first detected in Nigeria in 2020, and which has traveled to 21 different international locations in Africa, inflicting outbreaks in 15 of them. Genetic sequencing evaluation signifies that earlier than it had been detected in Europe, the virus had been circulating for a yr elsewhere.
There is no such thing as a proof that there was widespread circulation of the virus in Europe as a consequence of these importations. Nevertheless, these could and do result in outbreaks if people who find themselves unvaccinated are uncovered to the virus, as just lately seen in Tajikistan, Ukraine, Israel and the UK.
Public well being motion urgently wanted
Subsequently, Rendi-Wagner and Kluge emphasize the necessity to preserve excessive nationwide vaccination protection throughout all populations. Whereas the 5 international locations that detected polio virus in 2024 have maintained excessive immunization ranges, they’ve additionally reported disparities in some communities, which stay susceptible to an infection consequently. ECDC estimates that 2.4 million kids within the EU/EEA could not have obtained the course of vaccinations required for defense between 2012–2021, with an extra 600 000 kids who could have missed their vaccinations in 2022–2023.
ECDC has revealed a Fast Threat Evaluation on these detections recommending precedence actions to be urgently taken to forestall and curb attainable transmission of polioviruses. WHO Europe has additionally revealed steerage to assist international locations determine, deal with and observe disparities in vaccination ranges.
Kluge and Rendi-Wagner have additionally underlined their dedication to cooperate carefully to assist nationwide and native public well being authorities of their efforts to curb the virus. This assist contains technical steerage and assets for surveillance and outbreak response, facilitating knowledge alternate and genetic sequencing of virus strains, and aiding in focused danger communication and neighborhood engagement methods to enhance vaccination protection.
“Europe remains committed to do its part in the context of all relentless global efforts in this direction and has full capacity to do so successfully,” mentioned Kluge and Rendi-Wagner.
Extra data:
Poliovirus detections in Europe—pressing motion wanted to maintain Europe polio-free, Eurosurveillance (2025). DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.4.2500076, www.eurosurveillance.org/conte … ES.2025.30.4.2500076
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European Centre for Illness Prevention and Management (ECDC)
Quotation:
Pressing motion wanted to maintain Europe polio-free, warn heads of ECDC and WHO Europe (2025, January 30)
retrieved 31 January 2025
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