POLIO
REMAINS A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY
In May,
the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the
international spread of polio a Public Health Emergency of International
Concern (PHEIC), and issued a set of recommendations to all polio-impacted
countries. On 31 July, the situation was reassessed and the Director-General
has declared polio remains a public health
emergency. Several factors played into this decision, including:
1.
Both Pakistan and Equatorial Guinea have exported the
virus internationally since May.
2.
Polio thrives in areas compromised by conflict. The
unfortunate reality is that there are currently several countries whose public
health systems have been seriously weakened by crisis, and whose children are
now some of the most vulnerable to polio. In fact, the number of people living
in conflict-torn states has increased since May, putting these children at
greater risk. 3. It is too soon to determine whether the guidelines issued in May have had serious impact in the affected countries.
The
measures recommended by WHO in early May help to protect the initiative’s
overall gains in the fight against polio, specifically working to ensure that
international travelers do not unknowingly carry the virus with them, and
inadvertently contribute to international spread of the wild poliovirus.
Rotary
supports the WHO Director-General’s decision to keep these recommendations in
place for travelers to/from Pakistan, Syria, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon
(countries who have exported polio in 2014); and Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iraq,
Israel, Somalia and Nigeria (countries infected by polio in 2014).
We
firmly believe that through close collaboration, Rotary, its partners and
governments will achieve a polio-free world.
John
Germ
Chair,
International PolioPlus Committee
Rotary
International
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