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reZaffran said it would be "pretty strange" to declare Africa polio-free if children were still paralyzed by the viral form of the virus.
"But it could still be that by the end of next year or the beginning of the following year, Africa will no longer be affected by wild poliovirus", she said. he declares. "I hope that the efforts we have already made in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Horn of Africa have put an end to the epidemics we are currently experiencing because they do not normally last too long. ", did he declare.
Syria has experienced a vaccine-derived virus outbreak last year, with more than 50 cases of the disease.
"In Syria, we conducted a series of fairly aggressive campaigns that stopped the circulation of the disease four to five months later, despite the war. In Somalia, we have children who are not accessible in some areas, but I think we should be able to cope with the current epidemics, "he said.
Roland Sutter, coordinator of the WHO polio research, polio and confinement team, said polio cases of vaccine origin were "a major concern."
But he added, "The solution is to achieve very high immunization coverage in affected populations, as we would with wild poliovirus."
Attacks on vaccinators, lack of security, and mistrust hindered final eradication efforts in the last two reporting countries, with Helmand and Kandahar provinces in Afghanistan proving particularly difficult. said Dr. Zaffran.
"Afghanistan is facing enormous challenges, but the country and all communities are fully committed to eradicating the disease," he said. "We need to have access – consistent access to children in all parts of the country. The surveillance system is extremely effective and as soon as we know that the virus is circulating, if we can access the area, we will vaccinate. "
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