Polio is “not a disease of the past” according to experts who warn the risk of a UK outbreak is at its highest in a generation. Poliovirus has now been detected in wastewater in the UK for the second time in 2026 and the 10th time since 2024. It is thought to be a mild “inactivated” form of the disease picked up from older forms of vaccines which are still administered abroad, but there have been fears it could mutate into its original “wild” form which can cause paralysis. It comes after the