Polio has now made an unwelcome return in Africa over five years after the last case of tempestuous acute anterior poliomyelitis was detected in the continent .
This new case was in a immature child in Lilongwe , Malawi ’s working capital . According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative , the three - class - olddeveloped paralysisin November 2021 and it has now been support that it was acute anterior poliomyelitis .
This virus strain – case 1 raving mad poliovirus ( WPV1 ) – is genetically linked to the poliovirus circulating in the Sindh Province in Pakistan . The virus , of which there have only been five showcase in 2021 , is endemic to Pakistan and Afghanistan .
Africa was declared poliovirus - free in August 2020and this detective work does not affect this position as the computer virus is imported .
“ As long as wild infantile paralysis be anywhere in the humankind all body politic remain at risk of importation of the virus , ” Dr Matshidiso Moeti , World Health Organization ( WHO ) Regional Director for Africa , suppose in astatement .
Polio has affected millions in the last 150 years . Many would get the computer virus without symptom , for others it would be flu - like , and for a little nonage it would contribute to a serial of neurologic conditions , ranging from muscle weakness to debilitate and occasionally fateful paralysis . Some survivor experience post - polio syndrome , where symptom submit 10 after .
Polio is really close to being decimate . Poliovirus type 2 was eradicated in 1999 . The last eccentric of poliovirus type 3 was in Nigeria in November 2012 . The only strain still endure is poliovirus type 1 .
“ The last case of crazy polio computer virus in Africa was identified in northern Nigeria in 2016 and globally there were only five guinea pig in 2021 . Any case of wild acute anterior poliomyelitis computer virus is a significant case and we will mobilize all resources to support the country ’s reply , ” added Dr Modjirom Ndoutabe , Polio Coordinator in the WHO Regional Office for Africa .
There is no cure for acute anterior poliomyelitis , but the disease can be preclude withan oral vaccinum . This was develop in the 1960s by Albert Sabin , following the first vaccine for the consideration developed in the fifties by Jonas Salk .
