The Department of Health has reminded parents and caregivers to ensure children are up to date with child immunisation schedules to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio.
This as South Africa joined the rest of the global community in commemorating World Polio Day on Tuesday, 24 October 2023.
The day highlights global efforts towards a polio-free world and recognises tireless efforts by health workers to eradicate the disease across the world.
"Polio is highly infectious and mainly affects children under the age of five years through invading the nervous system. It can cause total paralysis in a few hours and can lead to death," the department explained.
Initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs.
While South Africa was certified a polio-free country in 2006 by the African Regional Certification Commission (ARCC), the risk of imported cases of polio remains high.
This, according to the department, is due to frequent cross-border movements or migration of people to the country, hence parents need to ensure that all children are vaccinated.
The department said the last confirmed case of wild-type poliovirus in South Africa was in 1989.
"The World Health Organisation recommends that importation of any case must be treated as a serious concern and high-quality response efforts to reach every child with the polio vaccine are critical to curbing the spread of the virus."
There is no cure for polio. However, it can be prevented through vaccination which is provided free of charge at all public health facilities.
In South Africa, children should receive two doses of oral polio vaccine - one at birth and the other at six weeks old.
"In addition, children are protected from polio by the doses of hexavalent vaccine, which they receive at six, 10 and 14 weeks, and 18 months of age."
The department suggests that caregivers ensure children receive all of these doses, and that they are given at the recommended ages and also provided as catch-up doses.
