Overview
- The Robert Koch Institute confirmed WPV1 in a composite wastewater sample collected on October 6 from the Hamburg area, the program’s first wild-type finding since surveillance began in 2021.
- No clinical poliomyelitis cases have been reported, and Germany’s inactivated polio vaccine reliably prevents severe disease even if it does not fully block infection or shedding.
- Genome sequencing shows strong similarity to a strain circulating in Afghanistan, indicating likely importation rather than local circulation.
- Because the sample pooled sewage from parts of Hamburg and neighboring states, the precise source and the number of individuals shedding the virus remain unknown as authorities widen testing and Hamburg’s response group reviews the finding.
- The detection is unrelated to vaccine-derived type 2 viruses found at multiple German sites since late 2024, and health agencies urge people to review polio immunizations according to STIKO recommendations.