The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday announced polio has been completely eradicated from the African continent, reported Africa News. The declaration comes after four consecutive years without a reported case and massive efforts to immunize children.
Two out of three strains of wild polio virus have been eradicated worldwide. On Tuesday, Africa has been declared free of the last remaining strain of wild poliovirus.
The Africa Regional Certification Commission had set a condition that more than 95% of Africa’s population should be immunised before declaring the continent free from wild polio.
The last African country to be declared free from wild polio is Nigeria. The country accounted for more than half of all global cases less than a decade ago.
The African Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication, an independent body, confirmed that all 47 countries in the WHO’s Africa region have eradicated the disease that attacks the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours.
“This is an incredible and emotional day,” WHO Africa director Matshidiso Moeti said.
Moeti urged vigilance as the coronavirus threatens vaccination and surveillance efforts. She called for a continuation in the efforts to protect children across Africa against all forms of polio and other childhood diseases.
She urged that African countries must take the lessons learned and best practices from eradicating wild polio virus to achieve Africa’s other public health goals and improve healthcare for all Africans.
According to the WHO, this is just the second time a virus has been eradicated in Africa, after the elimination of smallpox four decades ago.
Health authorities have warned that vaccination work in many African countries has been stalled due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving more children vulnerable to infection. In May, they reported that 46 campaigns to vaccinate children against polio had been suspended in 38 countries, mostly in Africa, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
