The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) called on the countries of the Americas to increase the vaccination of children against polio in order to prevent reactivation of the disease in the region.
In a statement, the PAHO warned that the rate of vaccination against poliomyelitis, a disease caused by the virus of the poliowas 82% in 2020, the lowest since 1994, when the Americas were certified free of infection.
According to the organization, the polio You can return to America if vaccination coverage is not higher than 95% in each municipality and community.
“The threat of the reintroduction of polio in the region is real,” said Andrés de Francisco, director of Health Promotion at the PAHOwho stressed that “avoiding cases of polio depends on having a highly vaccinated child population.
The virus, which is transmitted mainly through contact with feces, affects the nervous system and can cause paralysis in the legs or arms.
In 1975, before widespread immunization, nearly 6,000 children they were paralyzed in America because of poliomeritis.
According to PAHOduring the COVID-19 pandemic “many control efforts” of the polioso vaccination rates have decreased.
Malawi health authorities last week declared a polio outbreak after a girl was detected in the capital, Lilongwe, Africa’s first case of wild poliovirus in more than five years.
“The recent case of wild poliovirus in Africa is a reminder that when the virus continues to circulate, children from all over the world are at risk,” said De Francisco.
