Polio emerged in Sudan after the WHO declared its eradication in Africa
Polio has reappeared in Sudan after it disappeared for more than a decade, according to the United Nations, while the World Health Organization announced Tuesday the elimination of the disease in Africa.
A statement issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday, "At least 13 people have contracted this disease (polio) in nine of Sudan's 18 states since the first case appeared on August 9."
Moreover, the type 2 wild poliovirus was discovered in samples taken in Khartoum State, which indicates, according to OCHA, "the possibility of the virus spreading widely in the country."
Cases have been reported in Ethiopia, the Central African Republic and Chad, "which increases the risk of (spread) in Sudan, and especially in Darfur, due to population movements," according to OCHA.
The UN office said that the Sudanese Ministry of Health, with the support of UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Food Program, is preparing a large-scale vaccination campaign that includes five million children under five years of age. The United Nations needs $ 20 million to fund this campaign.
On Tuesday, Rose Leakey, chair of the African Regional Certification Commission, which issues health statements at the World Health Organization, announced that "the transmission of wild poliovirus has stopped" in Africa.
"This is a historic moment for Africa .... From now on, children born on this continent will not fear polio," said Machidiso Moeti, Director of the World Health Organization for Africa.
Poliomyelitis causes "wild poliovirus", an acute and infectious disease that mainly affects children and attacks the spinal cord and can cause irreversible paralysis.
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