Do you know that there would be more than 10 million children unable to
walk in the next forty years if the world did not take the initiative
to eradicate polio? Hence, polio is highly infectious viral disease,
attacking the nerve system, and it is apt to cause complete paralysis
within hours. Thus, the virus enters the human body via the mouth and
propagates in the intestines. On the other hand, the primary symptoms
for the disease are fever, exhaustion, headache, vomit, neck stiffness,
and pains in the limbs. One case of every 200 cases sustains incurable
paralysis, usually in the legs; whereas 5% to 10% of those sustaining
polio die when their respiratory muscles stop performing their
functions.
Date of the World Polio Day:
The World Polio Day is celebrated in the world on October 24th,
2013, under the theme “End Polio Now”. Thus, all the health experts
agree to the necessity of making governments give eradicating polio the
first priority. And it seeks to adopt the policies and provide the
necessary finances to apply the set strategies in order to eradicate
polio.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization
(WHO) seeks to eradicate polio through the polio- eradicating global
initiative, which is the biggest health partnership based between the
governmental and private sectors, and which managed to reduce polio
cases by 99%. Therefore, polio only exists now in the most impoverished
communities in the world and the most marginalized, as it is still rife
among the most vulnerable children. As such, the goal which the
initiative seeks is to vaccinate each child, without exception, with
anti-polio vaccine, and guarantee world free from this disease, which is
in the best interest of the next generations.
Number of Cases:
The number of polio-infected cases has reduced since 1988 by a
percentage more than 99%; thus, estimates underline that the infected
cases has reduced from 350 000, reported in this year in more than 125
countries, where the disease is epidemic, to 1352 cases, reported in
2010. Now, the disease is only epidemic in some areas, located in four
countries in the world, which is the smallest geographical area recorded
in history.
Strategies:
There are four main strategies to stop the spread of wild polio
virus in the affected areas or the areas highly vulnerable to the risks
of infection re-emergence. Thus, these strategies are:
- Vaccinating infants in their first years with four doses of the
anti-polio oral vaccine, and guaranteeing highly-immunized coverage with
this vaccine.
- Seeking, through the integral immunization activities, to administer
complementary doses of the anti-polio oral vaccine for all the children
less than five years.
- Detecting the wild polio virus through reporting on all the acute
flaccid cases which inflict children, less than fifteen years, and
examining them through laboratories.
- Undertaking comprehensive immunization processes, with specific
goals when the scope of the polio spread is restricted to specific area.
Internationally Approved Date: 24/10/2013
Locally Approved Date: 19/12/1434
Theme of the World Polio Day 2013:
“End Polio Now”
- Children at the age of 5 years or less.
- Adults.
- Those working in the medical field and interested in the disease.
- Those having weak immunization and traveling a lot.
Objectives and Messages of the World Polio Day 2013:
Purposes which the international initiatives seek to eradicate polio are:
- Stop the wild polio spread as soon as possible.
- Earn the official certification of eradicating polio all over the world
- Contribute to developing the health systems, enhancing the routine
immunization activities, and detecting communicable diseases.
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