Polio Outbreak Of 2024: A Global Review Of Countries Battling A Resurgence Of The Disease

2024 was the year when many countries reported a resurgence of the polio virus either among sewage and water or among people. Let us take a look at the countries affected.

Polio is a deadly disease that cannot be cured if a person is infected. It is highly contagious and falls under the category of viral diseases. It primarily affects the nervous system of a person and it can cause partial or permanent paralysis and even death. The infection is cause by polio virus, poliomyelitis or polio in short. Typically, polio virus is found in very unsanitary places and conditions for instance it can be found in feces of an infected person or through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing.. It can also be found in sewage and waste materials from which it can spread further if a person comes in direct contact with it.

2024 was the year when many countries reported a resurgence of the polio virus either among sewage and water or among people. Let us take a look at the countries affected.

Countries With Polio Outbreaks in 2024

1. Pakistan: Pakistan recorded three cases of wild poliovirus (WPV1) in the country. Throughout the year, Pakistan also reported numerous positive environmental samples of polio virus. The country is endemic to one for the two WPV's
2. Afghanistan: Afghanistan is also under the category of an 'endemic region' for polio virus and in 2024 they reported five WPV1 cases and multiple positive environmental samples.
3. Nigeria: Nigeria recorded 30 cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2). This made it a very significant area of concern for polio resurgence.
4. Angola: Angola recorded one case of cVDPV2 or polio virus.
5. Benin: Britain recorded one case of cVDPV2.
6. Guinea: Guinea confirmed one case of cVDPV2.
7. Indonesia: Indonesia confirmed at least four cases of cVDPV2.
8. Kenya: Kenya detected one positive environmental sample for cVDPV2.
9. Niger: Niger confirmed one case of cVDPV2 and two positive environmental samples.
10. Somalia: Somalia recorded two positive environmental samples for cVDPV2.
11. Gaza Strip (Occupied Palestinian Territory): Among all the other countries that recorded a resurgence of polio virus, Gaza is the one regions which reported a new case of variant polio virus in a 10-month-old baby in July 2024. The Gaza Health Ministry termed it as an epidemic after which the United Nations also began multiple vaccination drives and campaigns to control the spread.

Symptoms Of Polio

Many people infected with the poliovirus may not show symptoms or only have mild symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness, and muscle pain. In some cases, the virus can invade the nervous system, causing severe symptoms, including paralysis and respiratory failure.

Paralysis causes weakness of loss of muscle function in the body especially in the legs. It can also turn permanent. As for Respiratory failure, in rare cases, the virus can affect the muscles involved in breathing, leading to difficulty in breathing and possibly death.