UN says new polio outbreak in Sudan linked to ongoing epidemic

A new polio outbreak in Sudan has been linked to an ongoing vaccine epidemic in Chad, says the World Health Organization, a week after the United Nations health agency declared that the African continent is free of the polio virus. Reports by AP suggest that  two children in Sudan, from South Darfur and Gedarif were paralyzed in the months of March and April. Both the children had been recently given the polio vaccine. 

Increase in Polio infections due to oral vaccines

According to the reports by the WHO, the investigations show that the cases are linked to an ongoing outbreak which has been derived from using the vaccine in Chad. This was first detected last year and is now spreading in both Chad and Cameroon. WHO said that “There is local circulation in Sudan and continued sharing of transmission with Chad”. WHO also said that it had found 11 more polio cases which were vaccine-derived in Sudan. The virus had also been identified in environmental samples. 

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Reports by AP suggest that there are many more unreported cases. The disease can spread quickly in contaminated water and it mostly affects children under the age of 5. Last week, WHO and along with its partners declared the African continent free of the polio virus as they termed it as “an incredible and emotional day”. Countries like Angola, Congo, Nigeria and Zambia are fighting against outbreaks of polio caused by the virus. On August 31, the WHO warned that the risk of spread of the vaccine derived polio across central Africa was “high”, keeping in mind the large scale population movements in the region. 

Read: UN Says New Polio Outbreak In Sudan Caused By Oral Vaccine

Large scale vaccination campaigns even amid the coronavirus pandemic left millions of children vulnerable to polio infection. In the month of April, WHO along with its partners asked to stop mass polio immunization campaigns. In May it was reported that 46 campaigns to vaccinate children against polio had been suspended in 38 countries, mostly in Africa.

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(Image Credits: AP)