The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) intend to expand poliovirus testing in wastewater in a few jurisdictions across the country. The Philadelphia Branch of General Wellbeing (PDPH) and the Michigan Division of Wellbeing and Human Administrations (MDHHS) are among the primary areas to investigate plans to start gathering wastewater tests in networks for examination at the polio lab of the US CDC.
The CDC’s strategic wastewater testing results will help jurisdictions prioritize vaccination efforts in the communities that have been identified as being of concern.
Wastewater testing will occur in certain counties with potentially low coverage of polio vaccination and connections to the at-risk communities linked to polio. According to Dr. Jose R. Romero, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, wastewater testing can be a useful tool for determining whether the polio virus is present in a community under certain conditions.
Dr. Jose R. Romero went on to say that getting vaccinated against polio is still the best way to prevent another case of paralytic polio, and it’s critical that people get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families.
Poliovirus wastewater testing isn’t suggested regularly, and there are severe security prerequisites. The US CDC will help them respond to positive wastewater detections and increase polio vaccination rates over the next few months.
