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Poliovirus found in Kolkata sewage water is vaccine-derived, no major concern: Health officials

Media claims that said there is a presence of poliovirus in the sample of sewage waters in Kolkata, were denied by health department officials. It was vaccine-derived and not the wild poliovirus that spreads.

TN City Desk

Updated Jun 16, 2022, 11:16 IST

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Kolkata: Government officials on Wednesday denied media claims that a sample of sewage water in Metiabruz, Kolkata contained poliovirus. Officials from the state health department clarified that it was the vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV), not the wild poliovirus, so it should not be a significant issue.

A state health department official said, "This detection was done more than two months ago. Since then, we are silently working out to find any case of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in that locality. So far, we have found none. But our surveillance is on to rule out any possibility.”

According to authorities, the last time a VDPV (Vaccine Derived Poliovirus) was detected was in New Delhi in 2018, when the National Institute of Virology in Mumbai performed genetic sequencing.

The final case of polio in India, according to available reports, was recorded on January 13, 2011, in Howrah, West Bengal. India has been polio-free since then, with the World Health Organization certification given on March 27, 2014.

"It is said that Vaccine Derived Polio Virus was detected in our environmental surveillance of sewage. Not wild poliovirus. The genetic sequencing was done at NIV, Mumbai, and also discussed with WHO. It can occur in any country where the Oral Polio vaccine is given," said a government official in the health department.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation will step up its efforts in Metiabruz neighbourhoods to find if the polio virus is present among the children. On Wednesday, a meeting was conducted at the KMC headquarters about preventing any new polio threats in the city.

In charge of the KMC health department, Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh said that in addition to looking for any active polio patients in Metiabruz, a public awareness campaign will be held to encourage more children to visit polio vaccination clinics.

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