Deadly virus discovered in Germany: Dangerous wild strain

This discovery comes more than 30 years after the last recorded cases of poliomyelitis in Germany and marks the first time that the wild virus has been detected in environmental samples since monitoring began in 2021.

The latest finding is a setback for global efforts to eradicate this deadly disease, the agency notes.

“The wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was detected in wastewater samples from sewage in Germany,” the Robert Koch Institute announced, adding that no human infections have been reported.

The Institute stated that the risk to the German population remains very low due to the country’s high vaccination rate and because the detection of the wild virus in wastewater is considered an “isolated” event.

Poliomyelitis is a viral infection that can cause paralysis or death but can be prevented through vaccination.

There are two forms of polio worldwide, with the wild type being the rarer one — it is found only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the agency recalls.