Poliovirus, which used to leave thousands paralysed in Britain up to the 1950s, has now been detected in UK wastewater for a second time this year – with experts saying this proves it is not a disease of the past
Polio is “not a disease of the past” according to experts who warn the risk of a UK outbreak is at its highest in a generation.
Poliovirus has now been detected in wastewater in the UK for the second time in 2026 and the 10th time since 2024. It is thought to be a mild “inactivated” form of the disease picked up from older forms of vaccines which are still administered abroad, but there have been fears it could mutate into its original “wild” form which can cause paralysis.
It comes after the UK Government announced in March that it is ending funding for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and cutting funding for other organisations providing lifesaving vaccines globally like Gavi, the World Health Organisation and the Global Fund.
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Adrian Lovett, director for the ONE Campaign, said: “Polio is not a disease of the past – it is still paralysing children in some of the world ’s poorest countries. With the virus now detected in the UK and other Western countries, it is clear that no one is safe until everyone is.
“Covid showed us that viruses do not respect borders. No matter how wealthy a country may be, our defence against public health emergencies depends on our neighbours, and we are only ever as strong as our weakest link.
“That is why the UK government’s decision to slash international assistance is so short-sighted and self-defeating. Not only do we have a moral responsibility to the world’s most disadvantaged people, but it also puts the UK public in greater danger.”
Falling vaccine rates and complacency have led to one in five UK children missing their pre-school booster for polio – a devastating, incurable disease that once struck fear into parents’ hearts every summer when transmission peaked.
The virus faded from public consciousness over the decades after a successful vaccination campaign from the 1960s. High profile sufferers include Bake-Off star Mary Berry and Hollywood actor Mia Farrow.
At its peak in the late 1940s and early 1950s up to 8,000 people were paralysed from polio in the UK every year. The development of a vaccine in 1955 dramatically reduced the spread.
The UK was officially declared polio-free in 2003 though sporadic cases that originated abroad have been identified over the years. The last case of naturally occurring, domestically acquired polio in the UK occurred in 1984.
Dr De Silva, a GP who was awarded the British Empire Medal for his work on Covid and King’s Humanitarian Medal on polio vaccinations in Gaza, told the Mail: “My recent work in Gaza, where I was responding to the first polio case there in 25 years, showed me first-hand how the disease can come back. With vaccine rates down and recent aid cuts, the risk to this country is the highest in more than a generation.”
In 2022 the UK Health Security Agency said wastewater samples suggested polio was spreading in Britain for the first time in decades and the NHS was warned to look out for paralysis cases. A total of 135 poliovirus type 2 isolates were identified in 30 sewage samples in London.
Oral vaccines against polio offered abroad contain an “attenuated” form of the virus – weakened in a laboratory so it cannot cause disease. These vaccine-derived forms of the virus remain in stool and are occasionally picked up in routine UK testing of sewage samples, conducted in London and Glasgow.
The oral vaccines are different to the polio injections offered in the UK which contain a completely inactivated form of the virus. These older jabs are still given in countries with high rates of polio such as Afghanistan, Pakistan or Nigeria. In theory this vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) can be spread from person to person but is usually harmless.
UK sewage samples in 2022 suggested it had started spreading in London when there were fears this mild form of polio could mutate into its original “wild” form which can cause paralysis. The last community outbreak of polio in Britain was in the 1970s but health officials insist the current risk to the population is low.
Free NHS polio vaccines are available to children as part of the routine UK vaccination schedule, with catch-up doses available at any age. Falling take-up saw polio vaccination rates fall below 95% from 2024, which is the level required by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for herd immunity. The UK is still considered by the WHO to be polio-free, with low-risk for polio transmission.
A government spokesman said: “The risk of polio transmission remains low, and vaccinations are vital to combatting the disease. They are safe, effective and save lives, and we’d urge everyone to make sure they and their children get all recommended vaccinations.
“Domestically, we’re supporting health professions to discuss vaccination with patients, promoting within schools, and have delivered a national communications plan to raise awareness and confidence.
“We are also investing more than £1 billion to immunise up to 500 million children worldwide, including against polio, and we are contributing hundreds of millions towards surveillance and outbreak response – vital in the global fight against this disease.”
