[News Focus] Man in the Middle

Science 20 September 2013:
Vol. 341 no. 6152 pp. 1334-1335
DOI: 10.1126/science.341.6152.1334 Yellowstone National Park wolf expert Douglas Smith does his research in the crossfire of the wolf wars. On one side are the wolf-watchers who thrill at the sight of the animals; on the other are the ranchers and hunters who blame wolves for a plunge in Yellowstone's elk population and for livestock losses. They hunt as many wolves as legally allowed, including those painstakingly collared for research.

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World Briefing | Middle East: Polio Virus Found in Jerusalem’s Sewers

Polio virus has been found in Jerusalem’s sewers for the first time since Israel eliminated the disease, the nation’s Heath Ministry announced on Monday. No children are known to have been paralyzed by the disease.

Israel is conducting a nationwide vaccination drive, trying to give a million children under age 10 drops containing a live vaccine. For the last 10 years, doctors have given the injected killed vaccine used in polio-free countries, but the drops — while somewhat riskier, especially to immunocompromised children — provide greater protection.

In August, Israel’s Supreme Court quickly rejected a motion by anti-vaccine activists to freeze the campaign.

In June, the virus was found in sewage in Rahat, a small city in the Negev desert inhabited mostly by Bedouins. It slowly spread north to several cities. The strain originated in Pakistan but appeared in Cairo’s sewers in January. Previously, polio virus had not been found in Israeli sewers since 2002.

No one has been paralyzed by polio in Israel since 1988; paralysis occurs in only about 1 of 200 cases, but those infected shed virus in feces for weeks. Stool-sample testing in Israel has found dozens of asymptomatic carriers.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: September 11, 2013

A report in the World Briefing column on Tuesday about the discovery of the polio virus in Jerusalem’s sewers referred incorrectly to Israel’s use of injectable polio vaccines instead of oral drops. The injectable vaccine has been used for the last 10 years, not used “until 10 years ago.”

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