WHO warns of polio epidemic as virus spreads rapidly across Africa

[CShine]

GENEVA (AFP) - Central and west Africa are on the brink of the largest polio epidemic in recent years, the World Health Organisation warned after the disease appeared to have spread across the continent from Nigeria to Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region.

A child found paralysed by polio in Darfur on May 20 was confirmed to have a form of the virus closely linked to the one that is endemic in northern Nigeria, the WHO said in a statement.

Until the new case, polio had not been seen in Sudan for at least three years following successful mass vaccination campaigns.

"Epidemiologists of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have today issued a stark warning that west and central Africa is on the brink of the largest polio epidemic in recent years," the statement said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1512&ncid=723&e=2&u=/afp/20040622/wl_afp/africa_sudan_darfur_who

[NickB79]

1. Is this part of the same region that refused vaccines recently

On the claim that they were made by Western/Christian nations, and were tainted with chemicals to render Islamic people sterile?

Well, thousands might die from polio now, but at least they'll die fertile! <sarcasm>

[NickB79]

4. Yep, its the same region

"Local radical Islamic preachers had accused Washington of lacing the original vaccine with hormones designed to render African girls infertile as part of a plot to depopulate the developing world.

UN experts dismissed the charge.

But they admitted Tuesday that the suspicions about immunisation had also spread into Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad, and needed to be countered."

[noonwitch]

5. Lunatics-this is so preventable

We've had the vaccine for about 50 years and it has been so effective that the disease is pretty much non-existent in North America.

[Lisa]

2. we almost had it eradicated!

We could have locked it away forever. I really hope Canadian PM Paul Martin says something about this ... he's been strongly supportive of efforts, due to having had polio as a child.

[dArKeR]

3. Polio outbreak threatens Africa

The largest epidemic of polio in recent years has broken out in Nigeria and is spreading across central and western Africa, threatening 74-million children with the paralysing disease and jeopardising hopes of eradicating it from the world by the end of the year.

In the state of Kano in Nigeria, which is at the centre of the outbreak, doubt over vaccine safety has led to the suspension of immunisation, and 257 children have now been paralysed by the disease, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.

Polio is now being exported to neighbouring countries, including Sudan, where a child in Darfur has been infected by the Nigerian strain of the virus.

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=117639