<h5>What is polio?</h5>  <p>We all remember the lockdown days during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 was caused by a virus called coronavirus. But coronavirus is not the only virus found in the world. The world is full of different viruses that cause various diseases. One such virus is the poliovirus, and it causes a disease called polio.</p>
<p>Polio (short for Poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious disease only found in humans. Children are very vulnerable to polio. It is a harmful disease that affects the victim's spinal cord and causes permanent disability or even death in some extreme cases. Even if a person is cured of polio, they still might suffer from polio-related symptoms for the rest of their lives.
Recently, the poliovirus was found in the United Kingdom (UK) after nearly four decades (one decade equals ten years). This discovery can have a huge impact on the world. Let’s find out why!
</p> <h5>What is the significance of this discovery?</h5>  <p>Developed countries like the UK were among the first to control the spread of polio. The UK was declared polio-free in 1982. Since then, children in the UK are vaccinated against polio every year. So, the discovery of the poliovirus in the UK was a shock. 
Government health authorities found poliovirus in sewage samples collected in London. The government authorities have stated that polio is not likely to spread among the people. If it does, the UK will lose its status as a polio-free country. 
</p> <h5>What will be the impact on people in the UK?</h5>  <p>We have been dealing with COVID-19 for some time now, and it is natural to be extra concerned about new diseases. But, there is little cause for worry.</p>
<p>In 1988, a global program, Global Polio Eradication Initiative, was launched to combat polio. Under it, all children in the UK are vaccinated against polio. The risk of polio affecting vaccinated people is very low.</p>
<p>Only two countries (Pakistan and Afghanistan) remain whose citizens are not safe from polio. Pakistan is India’s neighbour. So is there a cause for concern for Indians?
</p> <h5>Should India be concerned about the poliovirus discovery?</h5>  <p>Not really - polio was a massive problem in India years ago. Many people, especially children, fell victim to it. Around sixty percent of polio cases in the world were from India. There was an urgent need for a strategy to combat the problem.</p>
<p>As a result, an immunization programme called Pulse Polio was started to achieve a hundred percent vaccination of children in the 0-5 age group through oral polio vaccine. Vaccination was conducted everywhere, from hospitals to people’s homes and even in public places like railway stations, bus terminals, etc. Even now, India continues to vaccinate children against polio.</p>
<p>The programme has been a huge success. The last polio case in India was in 2011; since then, no one has been infected by polio. India was declared a polio-free country in 2011 by the World Health Organisation.
</p> <h5>Will we see polio in India again, like in the UK?</h5>  <p>Every country is at risk if there is even a single person infected with polio. Although almost all Indians are vaccinated against polio, it can still spread through people coming from Pakistan and Afghanistan. </p>
<p>However, the risk of any major outbreak remains low as long as young children continue to be vaccinated.
So don’t worry about it!
</p>

Recently, the health authorities of the United Kingdom found poliovirus in the country. Let’s find out how serious the situation is! 

Polio Virus Found In the UK After Four Decades

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Polio Virus Found In the UK After Four Decades

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