Though, experts have long warned that the virus spreading in one country is a threat to the rest of the globe. And it appears that is exactly what is happening. It is quite pleasing to note that Africa has made considerable gains when it comes to eradicating polio.
It appears that Afghanistan and Pakistan — the two countries in which polio is still endemic — are closer than they have ever been to eradicating wild poliovirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in an earlier report.
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. The virus invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours.
The virus, according to experts, is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example, contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine.
From the look of things, World Health Organisation and partners are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that the virus is completely wiped out on the face of the earth in the not too long-distant future.
In the recent past, the efforts and resources spent in sensitizing the populace against this deadly virus, speaks volumes of the country's resolve and readiness to combat polio.
We must acknowledge the fact that the African region has made considerable gains when it comes to putting in place measures towards eradicating further spread of this deadly virus. This is made possible thanks to sharing of expertise and knowledge both at national and regional level. No nation can stand alone.
It is against this backdrop that the World Health Organisation and partners are organizing a multi-country capacity building on Integrated Polio Surveillance in the African Region in Banjul.
This forum is among a series of similar initiatives convened across the continent to help scale up efforts to combat polio in the region by 2024. However, the forum could not have come at a better time as it seeks to expose participants to new skills and approach required in terms of surveillance towards eradicating polio virus on the continent.
Polio is a serious health emergency that results in sudden onset of paralysis or weakness in the arms or legs.
The virus was detected way back and in 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was launched to guide global efforts at polio eradication. Since then, the once global threatening disease has decreased considerably in many countries.
With a small number of cases and limited geographical spread of the virus, experts agree that the two Asian nations stand a real chance of stopping transmission of wild poliovirus this year, but only if the eradication programmes in these countries can overcome persistent social and political challenges.