INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
polio.Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under 5 years of age
The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the fecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for
example contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.Polio
can be prevented through immunization
The Polio vaccine, given multiple times, almost always protects a child for life
The development of effective vaccines to prevent paralytic polio was one of the major medical breakthroughs of the 20th century.The
supplementary immunization campaign to eradicate polio in Iran started in 1994
Pakistan, endemic transmission of wild poliovirus is still prevalent
Due to frequent traverse to these countries, as well as intensified migration of Afghans to the country because of political changes in
Afghanistan in recent years, Iran is exposed to the resurgence of the disease, Borna quoted Alireza Raeisi, an official with the health
ministry, as saying.Moreover, the fact that in 2024, the number of wild poliovirus positives in Afghanistan and Pakistan increased by four
and twelve times, respectively, compared to 2023, indicates that the country is highly at risk, Raeisi noted.This year, the annual
door-to-door polio vaccination campaign was implemented in two phases, with a month interval between them, targeting children under the age
of five in high-risk regions.The first phase was conducted from January 4 to 6
During the campaign, some 840,000 Iranian and foreign national children under the age of 5 were immunized against polio by medical
universities in Sistan-Baluchestan, Kerman, Fars, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khuzestan, South Khorasan, and Yazd provinces, Raeisi added.He noted
that the second phase started on February 15 and concluded on February 17.The official went on to say that the campaign will target the rest
of the at-risk regions in spring.Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute has produced millions of doses of the polio vaccine, saving
millions of children so far.MT/MG
