The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has warned that Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Peru are at “very high risk” of polio recurrence, as the lowest vaccination rates observed during the Covid pandemic have led to a historic decline in polio immunization levels
Polio vaccination coverage in the Americas dropped 79 percent, the lowest level since 1994, PAHO said.
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Earlier this month, the New York government declared a statewide emergency to accelerate efforts to vaccinate residents after the virus was detected in water samples in four counties.
Virus contamination was also detected in London and Jerusalem.
“We are very clear,” PAHO director Carissa Etienne told reporters. “Polio is not a curable disease. Prevention is the only option and this is only possible with vaccines.”
Polio can cause irreversible paralysis in some cases, but it can be prevented with a vaccine first made available in 1955. Although there is no known cure, three injections of the vaccine provide nearly 100% immunity.
Public health authorities said hesitation over vaccines played a role in the decline in polio immunization. Furthermore, according to the United Nations, the pandemic has caused the worst interruption of routine vaccinations of populations in a generation.
Etienne said the latest health crisis left many without protection against polio after vaccines eradicated the disease in the region 30 years ago.
The expert added that Argentina, Bahamas, Ecuador, Panama, Suriname and Venezuela have also been identified as high-risk countries and that almost all of South America currently has vaccination coverage of less than 80%.
There are currently no confirmed cases of polio in Latin America and the Caribbean, but PAHO has urged all countries in the region to strengthen surveillance and act proactively with unvaccinated communities.
Polio terrified parents around the world during the first half of the 20th century. The disease, which primarily affects children under the age of five, is often asymptomatic but can also cause conditions such as fever and vomiting. About 200 infections lead to irreversible paralysis and up to 10% die.
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