Polio is a serious contagious disease caused by the polio virus. The virus is transmitted from person to person. The infection can cause paralysis and people can die.
Samples were taken from the sewer on 21 July. The polio virus was actually found in the first week of August.
The Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate (IGJ) has announced that all employees of the companies involved are being screened for possible exposure. “We are investigating whether incidents have occurred within the institutions,” said a spokesman.
Two possible sources
“There are two possible sources, directly from a sink in the lab developing the vaccine or an employee who is infected and has gone to the toilet.”
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The inspectorate also has DNA research done. So-called DNA sequences of the virus are compared to determine its origin. This investigation takes two to three weeks.
‘No danger’
The sewer in which the virus was found is a ‘normal public sewer’. Still, according to the inspection, there is no danger to public health. “The water purification ensures that the virus is deactivated.”
In the 1980s there were more than 350,000 cases of wild polio worldwide, but the disease is being eradicated. The entire continent of Africa was recently declared polio-free after a large-scale campaign and the massive vaccination of children.
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