The number of polio cases in Pakistan and Afghanistan



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The 31-year global campaign to eliminate polio, which cost more than $ 16 billion, has been held back by a resurgence of new cases in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

As of July 10, there were a total of 42 cases of polio paralysis in both countries. They understand a single big epidemicbecause most of the cases are in the tribal areas along the border, where people cross easily.

Pakistan has registered 32 cases, compared to only three at the same time last year, and the situation should worsen as the summer heat favors the virus. There were only 12 cases in the country in 2018 and eight in 2017.

According to the World Health Organization, every paralyzed victim – usually a child under five – is infected and gets rid of the virus.

Another threat to the eradication campaign is that some countries – mainly in Africa – have not been able to eliminate some mutant strains of polio viruses used in live vaccines. These strains returned to forms likely to cause paralysis.

In the past two years, there have been epidemics of "vaccine-origin polio" in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea and Somalia.

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