Parents from Bury are being urged to make sure their children have had all of their polio vaccinations.

The message comes after the UK Health Security Agency declared a national incident when poliovirus was found in sewage samples in London.

Polio is caused by a virus that spreads easily when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Lesley Jones, Bury’s director of public health, said: “Although the risk remains low, polio can be very serious, as many older people will remember from the days before vaccination became the norm.

“We urge all parents to check and if their children are not fully vaccinated to speak to their GP and make sure they are fully protected.”

Most people who get polio do not show symptoms.

Some people get mild, flu-like symptoms such as a high temperature, extreme tiredness, headaches, being sick, a stiff neck and muscle pain, however, these symptoms usually last up to 10 days.

Rarely, polio can cause difficulty using your muscles, usually in the legs and occasionally it can be life-threatening if the paralysis affects the muscles used for breathing.

The best way to prevent polio is to make sure children are up to date with vaccinations.

The polio vaccine is part of the NHS routine childhood vaccination schedule.

It is given when your child is:

• 8, 12 and 16 weeks old as part of the 6-in-1 vaccine.

• three years and 4 months old as part of the 4-in-1 (DTaP/IPV) pre-school booster.

• 14 years old as part of the 3-in-1 (Td/IPV) teenage booster.

All three vaccinations need to be given to be fully vaccinated against polio.

Parents and carers can also check their child’s vaccination status in their Red Book and can also contact their GP to discuss vaccination if they are not fully up to date.

The vaccination can be given at any point if someone has never had one before.

The vaccination is important as it can protect against different types of polio and is usually free on the NHS.

The best way to prevent polio is to always wash hands after using the toilet and before eating or drinking and make sure that your vaccinations are up to date.