An unusually high amount of poliovirus detections in Several European Countries in Recent Months Has Underscred The Importance of Keeping Europe Polio-FREE E Prevention and Control (ECDC) Director Pamela Rendi Wagner and World Health Organization (who ) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluege, which was Published on Eurosurvelance. “A future with polio remains our goal, but it is by no means a certainty,” warn rendi-wagner and kluege.

‘God EREGE in Every Community Every Year Until Global Polio Eradication has been achieved, “said kluege And Rendi-Wagner.

This reiterates the path laid out in the European Immunization Agenda 2030The GPEI Polio Eradication Strategyand the Global polio surveillance action plan.

Ongoing Risk Highlighted by Recent Detections

While Polio Has Been a Threat to the Health and Well-Being of Children for Centuries, it is a Mostly forgotten Disease for the Vast Majority of People in Europe. Thanks to successful vaccination programs, Extent Survelance and OutBreak Response, Europe has been polio-free since 2002.

However, the virus will continue to be important into europe as long as it circulates globally. Pathogenic Poliovirus has been detected in at least one counte ES in 5 Countries, Namely in Spain, Poland, Germany , The united kingdom, and finland.

These viruses are linked to a lineage that was first detected in Nigeria in 2020, and which has traveled to 21 Other Countries in Africa, Causing OutBreakes in 15 of Them. Genetic sequencing analysis indicates that before it has been detected in europe, the virus had ben circulating for a year Elsewhere.

There is no evidence that there has been wirus in the virus in europe due to these importants. However, these may and do lead to outbreaks if people who are unvaccinated are exposed to the virus, as recently seen in tajikistan, ukraine, israel and the united kingdom.

Public Health Action Urgently Needed

Therefore, rendi-wagner and kluege emphasize the need to maintain high national vaccination coverage across across all population. While the five counties that detected polio virus in 2024 have maintained high immunization levels, they have also also also reported disparities in some communities, which remain vulneable to infection as aSult. ECDC Estimates that 2.4 Million Children in the Eu/Eea May Not Have Received The Course of Vaccinations Required for Protection Between 2012-2021, with an added 600 000. 3.

Ecdc has published a Rapid Risk Assessment on these detections recommending priority actions to be urgently taken to prevent and curb posesable transmission of polioviruses. Who europe has also also Published guidance To help Countries Identify, Address and Track Disparities in Vaccination Levels.

Kluege and rendi-wagner have also also underlined their commission to cooperate closely to support national and locical public health authorities in their efforts to curb the virus. This Support Includes Technical Guidance and Resources for Survelance and OutBreak Response, Facilitating Data Exchange and Genetic Sequencing of Virus Strains, and Assist Agement strategies to improve vaccination coverage.

“Europe Remains Committed to Do Its Part In the Context of All relatives in this direction and have full capacity to do so so so so successfully,” called Kluege and Rendi-Wagner.

Provided by European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)