All children aged one to nine in London are to be offered a dose of the polio vaccine, after more of the virus was found in the city’s sewers.
Vaccine-derived poliovirus has been detected in sewage in Barnet, Brent, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, and Waltham Forest.
The virus has also been found in lower concentrations in areas adjacent to the Beckton catchment area to the south (immediately below the Thames) and to the east of Beckton.
However, it is not clear whether the virus has established itself in these areas or if the detections are due to people from the affected area visiting these neighbouring areas.
There have been no confirmed cases of polio, and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said the risk to the public is low.
The NHS will contact parents when it is their child’s turn to come forward for a booster or catch-up polio dose.
Vaccine uptake in London is already lower than in the rest of the country.
