Have you checked your child’s vaccination status? Children under 10 now offered additional polio vaccination
The NHS is now contacting parents and carers of children aged one to nine in Camden about additional polio vaccinations to protect children from the virus.
If your child is in this age group and needs any vaccinations against polio, the NHS will advise you how and when they will be able to get it.
In the meantime, parents and carers are urged to check their child’s Red Book to make sure they are up to date with their polio and all other childhood vaccinations.
The London-wide polio booster programme, led by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England, has been launched to protect children from polio after samples of the virus were detected in a water sewage site in North London that serve eight boroughs – including Camden.
Currently the overall risk to the public is low and there have been no confirmed cases of poliovirus. However, the sewage samples suggest that community transmission is taking place, so it is more important than ever that children are up to date with their polio vaccinations which will help to protect them and the wider community from the virus and will help to prevent the virus spreading.
Although the overall risk of poliovirus to residents is extremely low, this is a concerning situation that we must take seriously. To protect children and families, locally we are working to support the UK Heath Security Agency and the NHS who are now offering an additional polio vaccination to all children aged between one and nine years old who are living in Camden. When you are contacted by the NHS, if you are advised to get a booster for your children, please do so to ensure they can be protected against poliovirus.
I also urge parents and carers to check your child’s Red Book to make sure they are up to date with all their vaccinations including their polio vaccinations. If your child has fallen behind with their vaccinations or if you can’t find their Red Book, please contact your GP or health visitor as soon as possible.
For further information, please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/polio/