Crush it again

A decade since Nepal was declared polio-free, the potentially debilitating virus is back. It must be nipped in the bud.

Nepal, a country that was long in the clutches of poliovirus, made a significant stride when in 2014 the United Nations declared it “polio-free”. However, the recent detection of type-3 vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV)—active viruses in the oral polio vaccine—in Kathmandu’s sewage samples collected from the confluence of the Tukucha and Bagmati Rivers indicates a potential outbreak. Although no one has been infected, the presence of the virus in sewage is in itself concerning. This calls for a prompt response from the authorities, as it could put Nepal’s achievements on polio at risk.