The NHS has issued an urgent plea to the Jewish community ahead of Pesach to prioritise getting fully vaccinated against polio before travelling or seeing relatives.

According to the NHS, paralytic polio has recently been reported in an unvaccinated adult in New York and an unvaccinated child in Israel, both belonging to Jewish communities.

Last summer, the first polio case in the US for 10 years was detected in a Charedi community in New York state, and the disease was detected in wastewater in the Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood of Williamsburg Brooklyn where 56 per cent of adults are vaccinated, compared to the statewide average of 80 per cent.

Polio can cause paralysis or death, and while there is no cure, it can be prevented by being fully vaccinated. Individuals who are not or only partially vaccinated are at the highest risk of becoming infected.

Dr Leonora Weil, from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “I strongly encourage everyone celebrating Pesach to prioritise polio vaccination in your planning for the chaggim. Pesach is a time for celebration, getting together with loved ones and even a single case of paralysis from polio would be devastating as it is completely preventable.”

Professor David Katz, Chair of the Jewish Medical Association, added: “Vaccines are the safest way to protect your child from diseases like diphtheria, polio, and measles. The short and long-term effects of these diseases can be extremely serious and devastating.”

Dr Blumberg, a GP in Stamford Hill, also urged Jews to get jabbed. He said: “Billions of people have been safely vaccinated from key diseases around the world. All vaccines undergo extensive and rigorous multi-stage testing through clinical trials and are continually monitored for safety and effectiveness.”

If you are unsure whether you or your child is vaccinated, NHS advice is to check your child’s red book or contact your GP.