Polio Cases Rise in Pakistan and Afghanistan
Polio cases have recently increased in Pakistan and Afghanistan, posing a threat to global eradication efforts. The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning on September 30 about the rising number of cases in these countries. In Afghanistan, two cases were reported in Kandahar and one in Helmand province. The surge is linked to the Taliban’s ban on vaccinations. In Pakistan, three new cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 26 this year.
Understanding Polio
Polio is caused by the poliovirus, a highly infectious virus that attacks the nervous system. It spreads through person-to-person contact or by consuming contaminated food or water. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, fatigue, and limb pain. Vaccination is key to prevention, with two types available: oral polio vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine.
Challenges in Eradication
Since the start of the year, over 20 cases have been recorded in Afghanistan and 24 in Pakistan. WHO’s Regional Director Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari emphasized the need for cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan to stop the virus’s spread. However, political tensions have hindered effective collaboration. Despite global efforts by organizations like UNICEF and WHO, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries with endemic polio cases.
Doubts Revealed
Polio -: Polio is a disease caused by a virus called poliovirus. It can make people very sick and sometimes causes paralysis, which means they can’t move parts of their body.
Pakistan and Afghanistan -: Pakistan and Afghanistan are two neighboring countries in South Asia. They are facing problems with polio because not everyone is getting vaccinated there.
Vaccination -: Vaccination is when people get a special medicine that helps protect them from getting sick with certain diseases, like polio.
World Health Organisation -: The World Health Organisation, or WHO, is a group that works with countries all over the world to keep people healthy and stop diseases from spreading.
Taliban -: The Taliban is a group in Afghanistan that has a lot of power and control. They have stopped some people from getting vaccinated, which makes it harder to stop polio.
Eradication -: Eradication means getting rid of something completely. In this case, it means trying to make sure no one in the world gets polio anymore.
Political tensions -: Political tensions are when countries or groups have disagreements or conflicts. This can make it hard for them to work together on things like stopping diseases.
