Vaccinated man excreted polio virus for almost 28 years — 5 facts

A British man has been excreting live polio virus for almost 28 years despite being vaccinated, according to ZME Science.

Here are five facts.

1. This is not the first case of an individual excreting polio despite being vaccinated, but it is the longest.

2. The virus has mutated and replicated inside the man's body, but there aren't any health hazards because the man lives in an immunized community.

3. The man was vaccinated with the oral polio vaccine in 1986, which has been discontinued for several years. The oral vaccine was discontinued in the United States in 2000 and in the U.K. in 2005.

4. Researchers found the man excreted various strains which contained changes to surface regions that human immune proteins attack. The strains are all controlled by current vaccines.

5. There is a risk that a case like this could lead to a new polio virus strain which is not prevented by current vaccines.

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