UK Lawmaker Warns Polio Could Follow ‘Worldwide Obsession” with Coronavirus

A local health worker administers a vaccine at a local health center at the financial dist
Bullit Marquez/AP Photo

The “worldwide obsession” with coronavirus vaccine delivery for children led to the unintended consequence of other routine inoculations being de-prioritised, a UK member of Parliament warned Sunday.

Writing for the Daily Telegraph, Esther McVey,  co-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on pandemic response, warned the global coronavirus outbreak saw “one condition prioritised above all else, including life-saving vaccinations against childhood diseases.”

The former Cabinet minister argued polio’s return in the UK “could well be the latest example of how this approach created collateral damage that was entirely avoidable.”

She added it was “time we acknowledged that our cure has been worse than the disease, especially for children.”

As Breitbart News reported last month, parents living in London were told to ensure their children are fully immunised against polio after traces of the disease were found in the capital’s sewage system.

The news came just two weeks after the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) observed coronavirus vaccination infrastructure should stay in place to ensure other diseases such as polio can be countered in the future.

McVey said the first traces of polio in 40 years are a “worrying development” but “not surprising to the many experts who have been warning of the unintended consequences of our narrow focus on Covid-19.” She continued:

Last summer, we were specifically warned that children were not getting vital vaccines for cancers, meningitis and other devastating conditions such as polio. Are we now paying the price of the worldwide Covid obsession?

She went on to argue by throwing endless government health resources at the pandemic response, “we disrupted access to routine healthcare and crucial immunisations. The stay-at-home messaging kept patients away from appointments and convinced health practitioners that it was appropriate to postpone their services.”

McVey said the upcoming UK coronavirus inquiry must examine the impact the pandemic has had on interrupting children’s routine vaccinations and the long-term implications for their health.

She concluded by appealing for “transparency,” before adding “We need integrity. We need clarity and bold leadership from those in charge; only then can we begin to restore the faith that has been lost in the authorities responsible for protecting and promoting public health.”

Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: or e-mail to: skent@breitbart.com

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