In Canada, it has been three decades since the country eradicated polio. However, the infectious virus has re-emerged in some western nations despite the availability of effective vaccines against the illness.
Poliovirus is once again under the radar of Canadian health authorities, who are concerned that disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to children missing routine immunization, and misinformation fuelled vaccine hesitancy that leaves some vulnerable to polio, Toronto Star reported.
Testing Wastewater for Polio
Health officials in London, England, found traces of poliovirus in wastewater a few months ago, while New York has reported its first polio case in 10 years. Also, Jerusalem had an outbreak of several polio cases in the spring after three decades of eradicating the infectious virus.
Experts explain that the re-emergence of polio in Western countries could be due to imported cases of unvaccinated individuals that traveled to a not yet polio-free place.
The re-emergence of polio in Western countries prompted the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to test their wastewater for traces of the poliovirus, CBC News reported. The agency spokesperson said to CBC News via email that they are already working to monitor polio activity worldwide.
PHAC's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg has the diagnostic tools needed to test for poliovirus, and any suspected cases will be sent to the lab for confirmation so appropriate health measures will be taken.
The agency has been communicating with the national and international partners to finalize a wastewater testing in which samples were collected earlier this year from high-risk municipalities to see whether the virus had been present before reported international cases. For now, they have not shared a list of places where they would be testing.
Doctors in Canada Stress Vaccination to Prevent Polio Outbreak
International travel between countries with high polio cases and low vaccination rates could pose a problem, says polio survivor Wes Hazlitt who is also an advocate and president of the Post-Polio Network in Manitoba. He says that polio is just a plane ride away.
Experts are also worried about the ability of the virus to spread undetected, as most people are unaware they are already infected and might have outbreaks.
According to Global News, Canada is emphasizing the importance of routine childhood vaccines, including an injectable polio vaccine before the child reaches two years old and a booster shot at four to six years. The injectable vaccine is inactivated, so it does not transmit from one person to another, unlike the oral version.
Infectious disease pediatrician Dr. Valerie Lamarre from St. Justine Hospital in Montreal said that vaccine hesitancy is another effect of the pandemic that affects efforts on vaccine-preventable diseases. Although polio seems to not be a threat to the US and Canada for now, Lamarre said that it does not mean that it should be ignored.
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