As reported to ECDC by the Belgian authorities on 2 September 2014, following a human error, 45 liters of concentrated live polio virus have been released into the environment by the pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), in the town of Rixensart, Belgium. The liquid was led directly to a treatment plant (Rosieres) and released after treatment into the river Lasne affluent of the river Dyle which is a tributary of the river Escaut / Scheldt. The Superior Council of Public Health of Belgium has carried out a risk assessment and concluded that the risk of infection for the population exposed to contaminated water is extremely low due to the high level of dilution and the high vaccination coverage in Belgium (95%).
ECDC's assessment is that the accidental release of large quantities of live polio virus into the environment poses a risk to public health if susceptible populations, such as areas with low polio immunization coverage, are exposed to contaminated water or mud. Especially since the rivers Lasne and Dyle join the river Escaut / Scheldt which flows in the southwestern part of the Netherlands, where the various Orthodox Protestant communities have a low polio vaccination coverage, before reaching the North Sea.
Source: http://www.blacklistednews.com October 2, 2014
