The wild form of the virus responsible for poliomyelitis has been detected in wastewater samples from Germany. The information was confirmed to Reuters by the main health authority in the country. The discovery comes more than 30 years after the last cases of infection were recorded in Germany. The World Health Organization announced that it is the first detection of this type of virus in Europe since 2010. Epidemiologist Emilian Popovici points out that in Romania, the vaccination rate does not ensure collective immunization against this virus, which in the worst cases can lead to irreversible paralysis.
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Until this discovery, in Europe the last forms of the wild polio virus had been recorded in Switzerland in 2007 and in Russia and Tajikistan in 2010. The announcement now by the German authorities shows that the danger of this virus has not passed.
“The fact that this was not discovered does not mean that the virus did not really exist. The fact that no one has gotten sick so far in Germany means that they have a very good vaccination coverage, estimated at between 85% and 93% for three doses of the vaccine. Which means a functional herd immunity.
Herd immunity becomes functional at more than 80% vaccine coverage and is fully functional, for example, at a rate of more than 90%. So, practically, the risk of disease in Germany with such vaccination coverage, with a functional herd immunity does not exist”, explains Prof. Dr. Emilian Popovici, vice-president of the Romanian Society of Epidemiology.
The same thing would not happen in Romania, if the virus were to reappear, draws the attention of the doctor. In our country, according to the latest INSP data, which analyzes the vaccination scheme for children born in July 2013, the vaccination rate was only 66.7% in urban areas and 60.4% in rural areas.
“Unfortunately, in our country, vaccination coverage has decreased due to this anti-vaccine background and everything that has happened in recent years, including during the pandemic period. So it is not hard to imagine that there is also a risk if the wild polio virus is present. Things need to be looked at seriously, not panicked, because panic does not bring any benefit, parents should vaccinate their children to protect their face from this terrible disease, after all, which has terrified a whole world in the past decades. (…) In the case of a larger epidemic, let’s say, one in 200 cases end up with the paralytic form, which is irreversible, and of these 10% die”. says doctor Emilian Imbri.
In Romania, the last case of poliomyelitis was registered in 1992. After a painful history. In the 80s, our country reported on average tens to hundreds of cases of paralytic poliomyelitis per year, with periods of local epidemics.
Emilian Popovici, vice-president of the Romanian Society of Epidemiology
What can be done to increase the vaccination rate
“Information is needed, because it is very well known that the vaccines, even those in the child’s immunization program, are not mandatory vaccines, but are the vaccines proposed in the child’s immunization schedule. So it’s the parents who decide. They must be aware of this risk which is now clearly visible and vaccinate their children. This is what must be done. We need information, information, information, done in a professional and consistent way”says Emilian Imbri.
Vaccination coverage is poor for almost all the vaccines included in the vaccination program, draws the attention of the epidemiologist:
“People have to understand that it’s not a joke, and I keep repeating the following statement that I make with all my faith: Option A is the one in which parents understand to vaccinate their children and the diseases preventable by vaccination are kept under control. Option B is where parents refuse to vaccinate their children and epidemics recur. Option C does not exist. There is only variant A and variant B. So a variant C in which children are not vaccinated and epidemics do not occur is not possible. Unfortunately”.
When the vaccine that protects against the polio virus is made
In Romania, the polio vaccination schedule (according to the national vaccination calendar) is as follows:
- The first dose – after 2 months
- The second dose – after 4 months
- The third dose – at 11 months
- Booster (fourth dose) – at 6 years
The doses are given as a combined multivalent vaccine (usually DTPa-IPV-Hib-HepB), which protects against several diseases simultaneously.
What forms of polio are there?
In the case of polio, there are two forms of polio that circulate globally. Wild poliovirus is rarer and was detected until now only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The other form circulates in several countries and originates from rare cases where live, weakened viruses used for immunization mutate and spread in communities with low vaccination rates.
