Dangerous Polio Strain Detected in German Wastewater

An alarming discovery has been made in the German city of Hamburg: a dangerous strain of the polio virus has been detected in wastewater samples. This was reported by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country's federal center for the study of infectious diseases. This is the first case of wild poliovirus detection in Europe in recent decades, raising serious concerns in the healthcare sector.

According to the Robert Koch Institute, the strain of wild poliovirus type 1 was detected in early October. It is not specified from which part of the city the sample was taken. At the same time, the institute emphasized that no cases of the disease have been registered among people so far, and the detection of the virus testifies to the effectiveness of the epidemiological surveillance system.

To respond to the situation, an expert working group has been established to conduct additional research related to the detection of the virus strain. The German Ministry of Health has stated that it is aware of the situation and has stressed that vaccination plays a key role in protecting against polio.

Poliomyelitis is a viral infection that can lead to death or irreversible paralysis. Two forms of the disease are circulating in the world. The first is vaccine-derived polio, which circulates in many countries but rarely leads to complications, when the weakened live viruses used for immunization mutate and spread. The second, wild polio, is rarer and is currently recorded only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to media reports, the strain found in Germany is similar to the Afghan variant.

It should be noted that the last case of polio in Germany was registered more than 30 years ago. The virus was detected for the first time after routine monitoring of environmental samples began in the country in 2021 to check for the presence of poliovirus. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this is the first case of wild poliovirus detection in Europe since 2007.