Australia remains polio-free, with vaccination coverage around 92% among Western Australian children, and officials stress that this protects against polio and supports maintaining polio-free status.

A vaccine-derived Type 2 poliovirus was detected in Perth's wastewater, marking the first such polio signal in Australia’s wastewater surveillance.

The detection occurred in a Subiaco wastewater facility during the national polio surveillance program and does not indicate active community transmission.

Health authorities emphasize there are no clinical polio cases and no evidence of local transmission, reinforcing that the finding is environmental rather than a network-wide outbreak.

Officials describe the detected strain as very low risk to the population and likely originating from an overseas traveler shedding the virus after vaccination.

The apparent spike is attributed to shedding from a returning traveler, not to local disease spread in Western Australia.

Public health messaging continues to stress vaccination as the best protection, with continued reminders for individuals to check and update their vaccination status.

Vaccination remains a central priority, and Australians are encouraged to complete polio immunization through the National Immunisation Program or catch-up opportunities.

There is no evidence of a decline in polio-free status, and no cases have been identified in Australia to date.

Wastewater surveillance is being used as an early warning tool to assess risks and guide precautionary actions if needed.

National and state health authorities, along with the National Polio Surveillance Program and expert advisory groups, are monitoring the situation and coordinating a response as necessary.

The response will include ramped-up wastewater testing and reporting to the World Health Organization through the Australian Centre for Disease Control under the National Poliovirus Response Plan.