WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the certification of the eradication of “wild poliovirus” transmission in the region of the Americas, including the Caribbean.

PAHO said in 1975, the region reported nearly 6,000 cases of polio, but thanks to child vaccination and sustained surveillance implemented by governments with the support of PAHO and partners, the last case of wild poliovirus was detected in September 1991 in Peru and in 1994, the region was certified as free of this disease. “Achieving a milestone like this is not easy. It involves a lot of work, commitment, and tenacity from thousands of health workers, researchers, partners, and all the people responsible for vaccinating their children,” PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa said. However, Barbosa warned about the persistence of poliovirus in other parts of the world. “Until we eradicate the poliovirus globally, we must maintain high vaccination coverage and adequate surveillance to detect any imported cases,” he emphasised. Polio is a highly contagious disease that affects the central nervous system, causing acute flaccid paralysis.

Although most infections are asymptomatic, in one in 200 cases, the virus can cause permanent paralysis in the legs or arms. Globally, polio cases have declined by more than 99 per cent since 1988, when an estimated 350,000 cases were reported in more than 125 endemic countries. There are now just two endemic countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan. (jamaicaobserver)…[+]