Emergence of genetically linked vaccine-originated poliovirus type 2 in the absence of oral polio vaccine, Jerusalem, April to July 2022

• Published in: Euro surveillance : bulletin européen sur les maladies transmissibles Vol. 27; no. 37
• Main Authors: Zuckerman, Neta S, Bar-Or, Itay, Sofer, Danit, Bucris, Efrat, Morad, Hagar, Shulman, Lester M, Levi, Nofar, Weiss, Leah, Aguvaev, Irina, Cohen, Zvi, Kestin, Klil, Vasserman, Rinat, Elul, Michal, Fratty, Ilana S, Geva, Miranda, Wax, Marina, Erster, Oran, Yishai, Ruth, Hecht-Sagie, Lior, Alroy-Preis, Sharon, Mendelson, Ella, Weil, Merav
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Saint-Maurice Centre Europeen pour la Surveillance Epidemiologique du SIDA (European Centre for the Epidemiological Monitoring of AIDS) 15.09.2022; European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
• Subjects: Epidemiology; Immunization; Poliomyelitis; Rapid Communication; Vaccines; Jerusalem Israel; Israel
• ISSN: 1560-7917; 1025-496X; 1560-7917
• DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.37.2200694

We report an emergence and increase in poliovirus type 2 detection via routine wastewater surveillance in three non-overlapping regions in the Jerusalem region, Israel, between April and July 2022. Sequencing showed genetic linkage among isolates and accumulation of mutations over time, with two isolates defined as vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPV). This demonstrates the emergence and potential circulation of type 2 VDPV in a high-income country with high vaccine coverage and underscores the importance of routine wastewater surveillance during the polio eradication.