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| Polio, one of the most feared diseases, back in Syria |
One
more of the countless consequences of the continued rule of Syrian President
Bashar Assad and its sanction by the international community is the confirmed
outbreak of polio cases, the first in Syria in 14 years.
It
is sad that polio, once one of the most feared diseases that paralyzed
thousands of children every year, is back and could spread throughout the
region due to the large amount of movement by Syrians fleeing their country.
In
2013, only three countries -- Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan -- remain
polio-endemic, down from more than 125 in 1988.
Will
Syria now be added to this list?
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| The map before the confirmed cases in Syria (WHO) |
The
World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a surveillance alert for the region
to “actively search for additional potential cases.” It also recommends all
travellers to and from polio-infected areas be fully vaccinated.
It
is all the more heartbreaking given that polio cases in Syria emerged as World
Polio Day was being celebrated on October 24.
On
Tuesday (October 29), WHO stated,
“Following reports of a cluster of 22 acute flaccid paralysis (AFP)
cases on October 17 in Syria, wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been isolated
from 10 of the cases under investigation.”
It
said most of the victims are very young -- below two years of age -- and were un-
or under-immunized. Estimated immunization rates in Syria declined from 91
percent in 2010 to 68 percent in 2012.
Even
before this laboratory confirmation, health authorities in Syria and neighboring
countries had begun planning and implementing a comprehensive outbreak
response, WHO says. On October 24, an already-planned large-scale supplementary
immunization activity (SIA) was launched in Syria to vaccinate 1.6 million
children against polio, measles, mumps and rubella, in both
government-controlled and rebel areas.
Implementation
of an SIA in Deir ez-Zor province commenced promptly when the first “hot cases”
were reported.
WHO
expects the larger-scale outbreak response across Syria and neighboring
countries to begin in early November and to last at least six to eight months
-- depending on the area and based on evolving epidemiology.
It
warns: “Given the current situation in Syria, frequent population movements
across the region and subnational immunity gaps in key areas, the risk of
further international spread of wild poliovirus type 1 across the region is
considered to be high.”
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| A single confirmed case of polio paralysis is evidence of an epidemic |
Polio
is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. There is no cure, but
there are safe and effective vaccines. The strategy to eradicate polio is
therefore based on preventing infection by immunizing every child until
transmission stops and the world is polio-free.
Polio
(poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades
the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis in a matter of hours.
Polio
can strike at any age, but it mainly affects children under five years old. It
is spread through person-to-person contact.
When
a child is infected with wild poliovirus, the virus enters the body through the
mouth and multiplies in the intestine. It is then shed into the environment
through the faeces where it can spread rapidly through a community, especially
in situations of poor hygiene and sanitation. If a sufficient number of
children are fully immunized against polio, the virus is unable to find
susceptible children to infect, and dies out.
Most
people infected with the poliovirus have no signs of illness and are never
aware they have been infected. These symptomless people carry the virus in
their intestines and can “silently” spread the infection to thousands of others
before the first case of polio paralysis emerges.
For
this reason, WHO considers a single confirmed case of polio paralysis to be
evidence of an epidemic --particularly in countries where very few cases occur.
Polio
can be prevented through immunization. Polio vaccine, given multiple times,
almost always protects a child for life.
In
1988, when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative began, polio paralyzed more
than 1,000 children worldwide every day. Since then, 2.5 billion children have
been immunized against polio thanks to the cooperation of more than 200 countries
and 20 million volunteers, backed by an international investment of more than $8
billion.
WHO,
in partnership with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the largest
private-public partnership for health, has reduced polio by 99%. Polio now
survives only among the world's poorest and most marginalized communities,
where it stalks the most vulnerable children. The Initiative's goal is to reach
every last child with polio vaccine and ensure a polio-free world for future
generations.
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| The oral polio vaccine costs as little as 11 U.S. cents |
There
are two forms of vaccine available to ward off polio - oral polio vaccine (OPV)
and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). Because OPV is an oral vaccine, it can be
administered by anyone, even volunteers. One dose of OPV can cost as little as
11 U.S. cents.
According
to WHO, polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated
350 000 cases then, to 223 reported cases in 2012. The reduction is the result
of the global effort to eradicate the disease.
But
it points out that as long as a single child remains infected, children in all
countries are at risk of contracting polio. Failure to eradicate polio from
these last remaining strongholds could result in as many as 200,000 new cases
every year, within 10 years, all over the world.
May
the children of Syria be protected from this disease.
