Polio eradication: 'We are going to the CHILDREN' says top WHO official | World | News



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The United States is at the moment under threat of a polio-like disease which is infecting young children, with possible deaths on the horizon.

Recent outbreaks such as this have been made to be effective in the field of vaccines, and they have been developed with the disease in mind.

These few countries are Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, which are lacking in the cause to completely end the fight against the deadly infection.

Top World Health Organization (WHO) officials have now addressed the issue, saying future generations are a world where Polio is no longer a threat.

Michael Zaffran, WHO director of polio eradication, talked about how far out of the box.

The health official speaks at a conference titled 'The Global Effort to Polio Eradicate', held by pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur's vaccines division.

Mr Zaffran said: "This year we've had 22 cases caused by the wild polio virus in only two countries in the world, in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"We have really reached a stage where we are closer to eradicating the disease."

"That's why it's not time to stop this effort, we need to actually go the extra mile even though we've missed deadlines, and we've taken more time than expected."

"We have really reached a stage where we can not stop now."

Mr Zaffran also warned the boxes of polio could once again skyrocket if the world was to take a step back from elimination.

He said: "If we were to stop the effort, we would probably have 100,000 or 200,000 cases every year again.

"We owe it to the children of the world to actually finish the job. "

According to Mr Zaffran, even after the wild Polio virus has been certified, vaccinations should continue to ensure complete security.

He said: "Within one year after certification of the eradication of the wild virus, we will stop the administration of the oral polio vaccine, and only rely on the inactive polio virus vaccine for protecting population.

"The strategic advisory group of experts on immunization – which advises the director general of the WHO – recommended the immunization against inactivated polio virus vaccine should continue for at least 10 years."

This means even if the virus was eliminated tomorrow, worldwide efforts to contain it would be at least a decade.

When will Polio be eradicated?

There is no concrete deadline for when polio could be eradicated, as areas such as Afghanistan make it incredibly difficult to supply people with vaccines.

In order for the disease to be effectively stopped in its tracks, every single child must be vaccinated against it.

At the moment, the polio is one hundred percent of the way to eradicating polio, and it will be impossible to predict when the final one will be complete.

The WHO remains optimistic however, stating: "The world is free of polio – with everyone's commitment, from parent to government and political leader to the international community."

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