The WHO says “transmission of wild poliovirus has been interrupted” on the African continent. It was Rose Leke, President of the certification body for the Africa region who spoke on the issue.
As a reminder, poliomyelitis is a highly contagious disease caused by the poliovirus. It attacks the spinal cord and the central nervous system, mainly in children, and can lead to irreversible paralysis in just a few hours. In the early 2000s, Nigeria was at the heart of the epidemic, while the West was protected from it thanks to a vaccine released in the 1950s.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is taking a big step forward. The 47 countries in the African region were congratulated by WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “I thank and commend the governments, health workers, local volunteers, traditional and religious leaders and parents across the Region who have come together to kick wild polio out of africa.”
A mutated form of the virus continues to circulate
Currently, two countries continue to be affected by polio: Afghanistan which has 29 cases in this year 2020 and pakistan which counts 58. In question, vaccination campaigns interrupted by pressure from Salafist circles, explains The World.
That said, in parts of Nigeria controlled by Boko Haram, it is estimated that 30,000 children would remain unvaccinated. A population too small to cause a new polio epidemic, say scientists. Corn a mutated form continues to circulate in 16 countries on the continent. It is a virus derived from a type 2 vaccine strain. The concern of an epidemic due to this virus continues to persist, especially as vaccination campaigns are undermined by the Covid crisis. -19.
Read also:
- Polio is soon a thing of the past
- Polio: return to a deadly disease
