Polio Outbreak in Africa Worries Red Cross

A polio outbreak that now affects 15 African countries threatens efforts to eradicate the disease, the international Red Cross said Wednesday, as it sought funding for immunisation.

The 2.1 million dollars (1.6 million euros) the agency needs would go towards mobilisation for immunisation programmes in the region, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Immunization in Children - Trivalent oral polio vaccine TOPV
Poliomyelitis is caused by poliovirus, an entero virus and there are 3 types, type 1,2 & 3. Vaccines against poliomyelitis are available in 2 forms, Salk developed IPV and TOPV was developed by Sabin.

"We have clear indications that polio is spreading again, including in countries such as Uganda which had been polio-free for more than a decade," said Tammam Aloudat, IFRC senior officer for health in emergencies.

"We need to act now by reinforcing emergency vaccination campaigns before efforts made over the last 20 years to eradicate polio are severely set back by this series of outbreaks."

Uganda recently launched an emergency drive to immunise children against polio following the first confirmed case of the virus to strike the country in 12 years, in the northwest, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

World Polio Day - ‘Stop Polio Forever’
Global polio eradication programs have significantly cut the incidence of the disease, yet it is an apt time to take stock of what remains to be done to ‘Stop Polio Forever’.

Cases of polio surged in Nigeria again last year and spread to surrounding countries in west Africa and further afield. Persistent outbreaks have also hit Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to international agencies.

An outbreak of polio earlier restricted to southern Sudan and western Ethiopia has now also spread to Kenya, Uganda and northern Sudan, including the coastal city of Port Sudan, the Red Cross said.

Poliomyelitis - Complications of Polio Symptoms
Individuals with severe polio symptoms experience complications that affect the heart, lungs and the urinary system.

Polio cases in Port Sudan were of "particular concern" after an outbreak there spread in 2004 and 2006 to countries including Saudi Arabia, Yemen and as far afield as south-east Asia's Indonesia.

Some strains of polio can cause paralysis and even lead to death. The disease is transmitted via contaminated food, water and faeces.

WHO Resorts to Grass-root Approach to Revitalize Nigerian Polio Immunization
The World Health Organisation has decided to involve local chiefs in the fight against polio, which is on the rise in northern Nigeria, officials said Thursday.

It remains endemic in four countries -- Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Afghanisation, said the IFRC.

Source-AFP
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