Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 10 April 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 April 2026. It was answered by Sharon Hodgson (Labour) on Monday, 20 April 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Polio: Sewers

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the UK Health Security Agency has made of the public health risk associated with poliovirus detections in wastewater surveillance systems in the last 12 months.

Answer

The UK Health Security Agency, working with the World Health Organization Polio Global Specialised Laboratory and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, conducts routine environmental surveillance for polio in England as part of our commitment to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The purpose of the sewage surveillance is to provide an early warning system of poliovirus importations which may then lead to community transmission. More information on this surveillance system and reports of detections of note can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/polio-global-eradication-nac-and-environmental-surveillance/environmental-surveillance-for-polio

In 2025 there were three detections of Vaccine Derived Polio Virus type 2 (VDPV2), one in the Shoreham Sewage Treatment Works (STW) and two from the Sheffield Blackburn Meadows STW. In 2026, up to 26 March 2026, there have been two unrelated VDPV2 detections from the London Beckton STW. Evidence strongly suggest that all these detections are due to multiple independent importation events from unidentified sources and there is no evidence of local transmission. Accordingly, the overall risk to the public remains low.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
126355
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Health hazards Sewers Polio Public health
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk