Health experts have found polio virus in sewage tested near Sao Paulo’s international airport but say there’s little threat to people attending the World Cup soccer event. “Given the high levels of population immunity indicated by the high routine immunization coverage and implementation of periodic vaccination campaigns in the area — no evidence so far of (polio) transmission and the response being implemented — the World Health Organization (WHO) assesses the risk of further international spread of this virus from Brazil as very low,” WHO said in a statement. Tests suggest the virus came from Equatorial Guinea, a central African country that reported its first outbreak of polio, four cases, earlier this month. It’s a reminder that any disease is only a plane ride away from any country. WHO declared polio a global health emergency earlier this year as the virus spread in countries where it hasn’t been seen in years.
IN-DEPTH
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