Polio Eradication Update

Posted by Jerry Venters 
on Jul 21, 2014
 

Polio Eradication Update: "Never Closer" in Nigeria

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ABUJA — Aid workers in Nigeria say they have never been closer to eradicating polio, with only four new cases reported this year.  But as insurgent attacks grow more violent in the north, the workers say vaccination programs are at "high risk" and continued success will depend on new strategies to reach children in what have become war zones.

Globally, polio this year has increased by more than 15 percent, with 10 countries reporting new cases.  Two years ago, there were only four countries that had polio, which can kill or cripple and there is no cure.  The World Health Organization calls the spread a “public health emergency.”  To read more, click on this link:  http://www.voanews.com/content/despite-insecurity-polio-drops-85-percent-in-nigeria/1955573.html

Current report on the "Final Three" Polio Endemic Countries:

  • Pakistan - 90 cases
  • ​Afghanistan - 7 cases
  • Nigeria - 5 cases

Countries where polio has been imported:

  • Syria, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Iraq - 12 cases (vs. 256 cases in 2013)
  • Israel - No cases, but tests indicate presence of Type 1 polio virus in the country