WHO concerned by Nigeria polio outbreak
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is concerned that a third case of polio was reported in Nigeria on Monday, adding that the latest developments could prove a major health setback for that country.
The case of polio was reported in Nigeria’s Borno state and it has been established that it was directly linked to the cases that were reported in that region last month. It is an outbreak and there doesn’t appear to be any clarity on why it has occurred.
“A third child has been paralysed by wild poliovirus type one (WPV1) in Borno state,” read the statement released by the WHO this week.
“It’s all linked to the same outbreak. Detection of new cases is not unexpected and can be anticipated, particularly as disease surveillance is being strengthened including by conducting retrospective case searches,” continued the statement.
Rotary International is also a major player in the fight against the spread of polio, which authorities appeared to have been winning until just last month. It had been envisaged that the country would be clear of the virus by the end of 2017, at the latest.
However, that is clearly not likely to be the case anymore. Detection of the virus has been a problem.
Rotary spokesman Stephanie Mucznik said: “Genetic sequencing of the isolated viruses suggests they are most closely linked to WPV1 last detected in Borno in 2011, indicating the strain has been circulating without detection since that time.”
