Following new reports of polio cases abroad and virus samples in the wastewater of several other developed countries, Canada intends to begin testing wastewater from a number of cities “as soon as possible,” CBC News has learned.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is already working to monitor polio activity around the world, a spokesperson said in an emailed response to questions from CBC News.
PHAC’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg currently has the diagnostic tools available to test samples for poliovirus. All suspected positive Canadian poliovirus samples will be sent to this laboratory for further laboratory analysis and confirmation, and the results will be shared with the relevant local health authorities “so that appropriate public health measures can be taken if necessary.”
According to the statement, PHAC is communicating with national and international partners who are experts in the field to finalize a wastewater testing strategy. It will test sewage samples that were collected earlier this year from “key high-risk municipalities” to determine whether polio was present before the reported international cases.
PHAC will also send samples to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further confirmation.
“However, it is important to recognize that accurate testing of wastewater for poliovirus is an evolving science,” the statement continued. “For example, wastewater detection can be affected by extreme rainfall events, such as flooding in a given community.”
WATCH | 100 people can be infected with polio in New York State:
100 people may be infected with polio in New York, health officials say
A New York state health official says hundreds of people may be infected with the polio virus.
Reports of polio in the US, UK, Israel
On Wednesday, British health authorities announced they would offer a polio booster to children aged one to nine in London after finding evidence that the virus was spreading in multiple regions of the capital.
The agency said it is working closely with health authorities in the US and Israel, as well as the World Health Organization, to investigate links between the polio viruses found in those two countries.
In July, Israel announced that a recent outbreak of polio infections appeared to be under control after scores of people became infected, including a Jerusalem girl who was paralyzed and now needs rehabilitation. according to the Jerusalem Post.
Most recently in New York State, an unvaccinated young adult suffering from paralysis after poliomyelitis infection in Rockland County — an area known for low vaccination rates — which marked the first case reported in the U.S. in nearly a decade.
Epidemic outbreaks also remain frequent in Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Africa – areas of the world where vaccination efforts have not yet eradicated the virus.
Polio can often be asymptomatic, but in some cases the viral infection can lead to paralysis or death.
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