LONDON (AP) — Children ages 1-9 in London were made eligible for booster doses of a polio vaccine Wednesday after British health authorities reported finding evidence the virus has spread in multiple areas of the city but found no cases of the paralytic disease in people.
Britain’s Health Security Agency said it detected viruses derived from the oral polio vaccine in the sewage water of eight London boroughs. The agency’s analysis suggested “transmission has gone beyond a close network of a few individuals.”
The decision to offer young children boosters was a precaution, it said.
“This will ensure a high level of protection from paralysis and help reduce further spread,” the agency said.
