Is polio coming back to Germany?
Recently, there have been repeated reports that poliomyelitis viruses, i.e. polio viruses, have been found in waste water in large German cities. Is there cause for concern? A categorisation.
First of all, what was found in the wastewater were not so-called wild types of poliomyelitis viruses, which are basically considered extinct in our country. What was found were attenuated pathogens from vaccines. You need to know this: In Germany, vaccines that cause the vaccinated person to excrete viruses have not been used for a long time. It must therefore be assumed that the viruses found originate from vaccines that are still frequently used in other parts of the world, e.g. in Africa.
Purely theoretically, these attenuated viruses are infectious, so that if vaccination protection is inadequate, infection would - purely theoretically - be possible, albeit very unlikely. And then you also need to know that, fortunately, this dreaded paralysis only really occurs in around one in two hundred cases of poliomyelitis infection.
The bottom line is that, as things stand today (December 2024), the Robert Koch Institute does not believe there is an increased risk.
But, and this is the most important message here: It is extremely important to ensure that everyone's polio vaccination is good and up to date - for children and adults alike, because polio is not a childhood disease and adults can also get it. With intact immunisation protection, infection with attenuated pathogens is not possible.
The vaccination has been around for a very long time, it is very, very well tolerated and is usually administered in combination with tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. So, the appeal is: Just check whether everyone is up to date.
Further interesting tips
Advertising ban for sweets & co
In the UK, there has been a ban on advertising extremely unhealthy foods since January 2026. Specifically, products with significantly too much salt or significantly too much and too densely packed sugar may no longer be advertised on television before 9 p.m., and not at all online. Do we need the same in Germany?
Health letter
A somewhat more difficult topic today - but one that we paediatricians are very concerned about. Because we are very often confronted with the fact that we are supposed to give a child a "clean bill of health". In other words, we are asked to certify schools, nurseries or childminders: This child is healthy. But we can't do that.
Urinary tract infection
The child has to wee very frequently, is in pain or wets in an atypical way. Classic symptoms of a urinary tract infection. If you notice these in your child, you should pay particular attention to one thing.