Elizabeth Mosima
9 April 2008
The propagation of polio virus persists in the West and Central African regions.
Poliomyelitis is a contagious disease caused by a virus which attacks especially the limbs of children. It weakens them and renders the limbs, and paralyses them for the rest of their lives.
Following the widespread use of the poliovirus vaccine in the mid-1950s, the incidence of poliomyelitis declined dramatically in many industrialized countries. A global effort to eradicate polio began in 1988, led by the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, and The Rotary Foundation. These efforts have reduced the number of annual diagnosed cases by 99 percent from an estimated 350,000 cases in 1988 to fewer than 2,000 cases in 2006. Efforts have been made through international health organisations to completely eradicate the virus. As a result some regions in the world have even been declared polio-free.
Despite these efforts, the propagation of the epidemic of the polio virus persists in the West and Central African regions. In Cameroon, the polio virus is still resistant because the country is surrounded by countries such as Nigeria where the polio virus is still present and is spreading fast. The second reason is that if the polio virus is manifesting from time to time in our population it means it finds its place in some children who are not sufficiently protected. It may be because their mothers did not take them for vaccination or they have not yet received the sufficient doses of vaccine which can be enough to protect them from the virus. Dr Emmanuel Nomo, the Permanent Secretary at the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, said there are some exceptions for example the case of Douala which was an HIV positive case. He said in that case the vaccine can be slow to protect the child. According to him, it is for this reason that the Ministry of Public Health is launching an appeal so that parents should profit from the opportunity which has been given them to vaccinate their children when it is necessary. "It is the best way to stop poliomyelitis," he said. He also appeals that each time there is paralysis of a child less than 14 years parents should immediately contact the nearest health services for measures to be taken immediately.
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