Pakistan has confirmed its third polio case this year. Last year, authorities discovered one infection. Another polio vaccination campaign has started in Pakistan. It will take five days, the goal is to vaccinate 40 million children under the age of five.

Hope for eradication wild polio virusthat causes polio, in the last two countries in the world with its occurrence – in Afghanistan and Pakistan – they slowly come out. pakistan [cca 220 mil. obyv.] in less than five months this year, he has confirmed his third wild poliovirus infection. Last year, Islamabad recorded one polio infection. The information is provided by the AP agency.

In response to the ongoing wild-type poliovirus infection, Pakistan’s health authorities have launched a third vaccination campaign this year. It will take five days. Health care professionals hope to vaccinate up to 40 million children under the age of five against polio. Last year, Pakistan stopped vaccination due to fears of the spread of the coronavirus.

A spokesperson for the vaccination program is now publicly asking parents of young children to work with paramedics to get around the house. The medical team is accompanied by members of the security forces during vaccination. In Pakistan, these vaccination teams are often the target of deadly attacks by Islamic radicals. They say the vaccination campaign includes Western spies. They often state that it aims to sterilize the population.

Polio has been confirmed in Africa this year, it is linked to Pakistan

About three months ago, representatives of the World Health Organization [WHO] confirmed wild poliovirus infection in a three-year-old girl from the capital Lilongwe in Malawi, Africa. The infection was later confirmed in another little girl in Mozambique. The sample sequence shows that both cases in Africa are linked to the strain of the virus that is spreading in Pakistan.

“As long as the wild polio virus is ubiquitous in the world, all countries remain at risk of catching the virus.” Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa, said at the time.

95% of Africa’s population has the polio vaccine

At the same time, he assured the public that they had taken some precautions against the possible further spread of the virus in the country.

“Thanks to the continent’s high level of polio surveillance and the ability to detect the virus quickly, we are now able to respond very quickly and protect children from the effects of the disease.” Moeti said.

However, these cases still make the African continent a polio-free area which was declared by WHO in August 2020.

“Laboratory analysis shows that the strains found in Malawi are related to strains circulating in the Sindh province of Pakistan,” The WHO representative explained the reason, stating that it was most likely the aforementioned imported disease from Pakistan.

Wild poliovirus reared in Afghanistan and Pakistan

According to the Czech State Institute of Public Health [SZÚ] wild poliovirus is maintained in populations in the Middle East, more specifically in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“Since 1988, the number of countries with endemic wild-type poliovirus has fallen from 125 to three in 2017” [Pákistán, Afghánistán, Nigérie] and since 2018, cases of wild poliovirus have only occurred in Afghanistan and Pakistan.” register on SZ’s website.

Africa has confirmed poliovirus infection. It spread from Pakistan

In 2019, 29 cases of polio virus transmission were confirmed in Afghanistan, and in 2020 there were 56 cases. In neighboring Pakistan, there were 147 cases in 2019 and 84 cases of polio virus infection in 2020.

According to the agency, people often mistakenly believe that polio is spreading primarily in African populations. This is not the case. WHO declared Africa on August 25, 2020 a polio-free area.

“However, there are still many local outbreaks of poliovirus-derived vaccine strains circulating in Africa. [cVDPV]“ SZ supplies.

Asymptomatic wild polio virus carrier

Poliomyelitis, or poliomyelitis, is a highly contagious viral disease. It can have a very serious course and lead to lifelong paralysis and death.

“Viruses are most often transmitted directly from person to person via the faecal-oral or oral-oral route, but also indirectly. Things, food and water if there is fecal contamination of an infected person, “ explains Jitka ástková of CEM SZÚ’s Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology.

Czechia has been without polio for 60 years, but the polio virus has not gone away

The problem with transmitting the virus is that not everyone is infected. According to SZÚ, one in 200 to 300 infected people will develop a serious form of the disease that causes paralysis. Polio virus infection that does not show any symptoms remains undetected. But even asymptomatic people are contagious to those around them. For several weeks, they excrete the virus in the feces and mucous membranes of the mouth and nose.

“These people can infect other people who can develop serious forms of the disease.” SZ supplies.

There is no cure for polio. However, the disease can be very successfully prevented by administering a vaccine that is simple and, according to doctors, very effective.

–VRN/TK-