|
 Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are the last countries in the
world with endemic polio, an incurable and highly infectious disease
transmitted through sewage that can cause crippling paralysis in
young children.
Polio has been virtually eliminated globally through a decades-long
inoculation drive. But insecurity, inaccessible terrain, mass
displacement and suspicion of outside interference have hampered
mass vaccination in Afghanistan and some areas of Pakistan.
The campaign due to start on Nov. 8 will be the first in more than
three years aimed at all children in Afghanistan, including more
than 3 million in remote and previously inaccessible areas.
"This decision will allow us to make a giant stride in the efforts
to eradicate polio," Hervé Ludovic De Lys, UNICEF Representative in
Afghanistan, said in a statement.
"To eliminate polio completely, every child in every household
across Afghanistan must be vaccinated, and with our partners, this
is what we are setting out to do," he said.
[to top of second column] |
A second campaign, due to begin in coordination with a campaign in
Pakistan in December, has also been agreed.
According to figures compiled before the collapse of the
Western-backed government in August, there was one reported case of
the one wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Afghanistan in 2021,
compared with 56 in 2020.
However until the disease is eliminated completely, it remains a
threat to human health in all countries, especially those with
vulnerable health systems because of the risk of importing the
disease.
(Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Peter Graff)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
