WHO Declares Africa Free of Wild Polio Virus
During a global pandemic, good news is the exception rather than the rule, hence the announcement from WHO on 25th August 2020 was received with jubilation on the continent; Africa was finally declared free of the wild poliovirus.
The announcement was made by Professor Rose Gana Fomban Leke, ARCC Chairperson who stated:
“Today is a historic day for Africa. The African Regional Certification Commission for Polio eradication (ARCC) is pleased to announce that the Region has successfully met the certification criteria for wild polio eradication, with no cases of the wild poliovirus reported in the Region for four years.”
The wild poliovirus was lastly endemic in Nigeria where the last case was recorded in 2016. Their vigorous vaccination campaigns finally bore fruit.
A document co-authored by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Director-General of the World Health Organization and Holger Knaack, President of Rotary International entitled‘Why Africa’s success in eradicating polio is important ’ enumerates some of the lessons learned in the journey towards the eradication of the wild poliovirus in Africa:
‘’While thanking and congratulating governments, health workers, civil society and all groups that have been part of this titanic struggle, it is important to use the momentum to invest further in health systems, as well as the health worker force, to protect people from this pandemic, and prepare them for future disease outbreaks.
Polio and COVID-19 both demonstrate that the best ways to break the chains of disease transmission are working together in solidarity, accelerating the science, and continually cooperating to solve problems on the ground and improve service delivery.’’
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What is polio?
A highly contagious disease that is spread through contaminated water, the wild poliovirus strikes toddlers under the age of 5 and its dire effects include paralysis and even death.
Polio was first reported in the USA in 1894, striking fear in the hearts of parents as there was no cure. The wild poliovirus disease had an equally devastating effect on African children; in 1996 over 75,000 youngsters were paralyzed by the disease.
The vaccine Dr. Jonas Salk will go down in history as the medic who bought hope to the world in the form of the vaccine that he developed in 1952. The currently used oral version was introduced in 1961, a brainchild of Dr. Albert Sabin which made possible the accessibility of the polio vaccine to the masses.
The vaccination campaigns This milestone is a culmination of years of united cooperation and efforts of stakeholders in both the private and public sectors. Recognition goes to the Rotary organization that rolled out the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Their efforts were boosted by Nelson Mandela in 1996 when he spearheaded the ‘Kick Polio Out of Africa ‘campaign. Rotary worked with partners WHO, U.S Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF and myriad volunteers and medical personnel to achieve the vaccination of over 2.5 billion children. At present, more than 95% of the African population has been vaccinated.
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Challenges that were Overcome The accomplishment of mass vaccinations in Africa was a formidable task to accomplish due to:
- Inadequate infrastructure which posed logistical challenges; some areas had no existing road networks, hence personnel had to use bicycles, boats, and other forms of transportation at times in adverse weather conditions.
- It was a challenge to reach populations in areas of conflict such as the Borno state in north-east Nigeria.
- Conspiracy theories abounded, along with suspicion regarding the motive behind the vaccination campaigns. Some viewed them as plots to introduce infertility agents in the population.
- For stability, the vaccine must be stored at set temperatures, and at times there was an unavailability of cold storage facilities.
The Future ahead The eradication of wild poliovirus means the protection of children allowing them to reach adulthood, hence an increased population of children will grow to be productive members of society. Governments will benefit from reduced health care costs and can focus on developing better healthcare facilities.
However, there is a need to keep up with the vaccination of children as the wild poliovirus is still present globally. Vigilance is required to guide against future resurgence of the disease that may come about through the movement of population across borders.
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