The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the spread of polio has become an international public health emergency. According to the international agency, outbreaks in Asia, Africa and Middle East are an "extraordinary event" which needs a coordinated "international response" and recommends citizens of affected countries travelling abroad carry a vaccination certificate, the BBC reported. WHO has already recorded 68 cases of polio by 30 April and declared that Pakistan, Cameroon, and Syria "pose the greatest risk of further wild poliovirus exportations in 2014".
Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director General, said that if the situation remains unchecked, then it could result in failure to eradicate globally one of the world's most serious vaccine preventable diseases. According to WHO, Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Somalia and Nigeria have been listed as the countries that are "posing an ongoing risk for new wild poliovirus exportations in 2014.
The Pakistan Conundrum
There are some fears that polio could return to India through Pakistani travellers. Previously, the polio virus is reported to have travelled to Afghanistan and Syria from Pakistan. In order to ensure that it doesn't come to India too, the Indian High Commission has issued directives stating that all Pakistani travellers must get themselves vaccinated before entering India. 'Travellers from Pakistan to India will be required to carry their vaccination record as evidence of being vaccinate against polio. After January 30, 2014 it will be requested for entry into India ', a statement issued to the Pakistani media said.
'Tremendous efforts have been put by India to set herself free from polio but its neighbour, Pakistan, is a hotbed for polio. This year too, we have 63 cases of polio in Pakistan. Nigeria and Afghanistan have reported 51 and 9 cases respectively,' Dr Carol Pandak, director of Rotary International's polio eradication program had earlier told DNA. (Read: Polio eradication: The show must go on)
What makes Pakistan's battle against polio really difficult is that Islamic extremists believe that polio vaccinations are against the Islamic way of life and may even be a ploy by western countries to sterilise Islamic men. Also, there is a belief that these UN backed polio workers might be undercover CIA agents and they have been regularly killed on this suspicion.
On the brighter side, a decree was recently issued by Maulana Samiul Haq, saying that polio vaccinations were not un-Islamic. Pakistan only needs to look towards its neighbour, who has done really well in its battle against the disease, and hopefully in a few years there will be no polio cases reported in the country.
What is polio?
Polio or poliomyelitis is a communicable viral disease which affects the nerves and can lead to partial or permanent paralysis. It is transmitted through stool or saliva. The global effort to eradicate polio has been very successful and from 350,000 cases in 1988 only 40 cases were reported worldwide in 2012. There is no cure for the diseases though vaccination can prevent the disease for life. India has done remarkably in eradicating polio and from 2011 no new cases were reported. (Read more )
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