And if the poliomyelitis was on its way out? Africa celebrated Wednesday, August 12 a year without new cases of this disease due to a virus that invades the nervous system. The last case was recorded on August 11, 2014 in Somalia, a country hit by a serious epidemic since 2013. But one year is not enough to announce the end of polio. It takes two years without a new case for an area to be considered completely free of the disease. In addition, the possibility of unrecorded isolated cases remains to be taken into account. Until this new epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) considered polio as eradicated at 99%. In 2012, 223 cases were reported against 350,000 in 1988. The WHO only listed three endemic countries in 2013: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, whereas in 1988 there were still 125. Rather encouraging facts, before the great return of the disease in 2013.
An incurable disease that mainly affects children
Polio particularly affects children under the age of five. Incurable, it is also highly contagious, debilitating and sometimes fatal. It causes irreversible paralysis in one out of 200 cases. For 5 to 10% of infected people, it is death by asphyxiation, the respiratory muscles ceasing to function. Yet this disease is easy to prevent. There is a vaccine effective, easy to administer and inexpensive. However, in some places, despite vaccination campaigns, access to care is far from obvious. In Somalia, for example, certain areas controlled by the Islamist Al-Shabaab remained inaccessible. “We never want to see a Somali child again paralyzed by this preventable virus. Which means that we must continue to support vaccination campaigns to s ‘ensure that polio is completely eradicated,’ Steven Lauwerier, head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), told AFP. This time, the WHO remains cautious and warns: if eradication does not is not total, polio could make a comeback in the next ten years.>> To read also: How are the vaccine shortages explained? Interview: should we be worried about the return of certain diseases such as measles?
