Health experts have found polio virus in sewage tested near Sao Paulo's international airport but say there's little threat to people attending the World Cup soccer event. 'Given the high levels of population immunity indicated by the high routine immunization coverage and implementation of periodic vaccination campaigns in the area - no evidence so far of (polio) transmission and the response being implemented - the World Health Organization (WHO) assesses the risk of further international spread of this virus from Brazil as very low,' WHO said in a statement. Tests suggest the virus came from Equatorial Guinea, a central African country that reported its first outbreak of polio, four cases, earlier this month. It's a reminder that any disease is only a plane ride away from any country. WHO declared polio a global health emergency earlier this year as the virus spread in countries where it hasn't been seen in years.
IN-DEPTH SOCIAL
First published June 23 2014, 10:00 AM
Maggie Fox is senior health writer for NBCNews.com and TODAY.com, writing top news on health policy, medical treatments and disease. She's a former managing editor for healthcare and technology at National Journal and global health and science editor for Reuters based in Washington, D.C. and London.She's reported for news agencies, radio, newspapers, magazines and television from across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe covering news ranging from war to politics and, of course, health and science. Her reporting has taken Maggie to Lebanon, Syria and Libya; to China, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and Pakistan; to Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia and to Ireland and Northern Ireland and across the rest of Europe.Maggie has won awards from the Society of Business Editors and Writers, the National Immunization Program, the Overseas Press Club and other organizations. She's done fellowships at Harvard Medical School, the National Institutes of Health and the University of Maryland.
