The latest statement from the World Health Organization regarding the risk and risk of polio virus transmission | Event | Statement
The World Health Organization announced on the 25th that the transmission risk of polio virus still constitutes an "international public health emergency of concern".
The WHO Emergency Committee has held a relevant assessment meeting on the 16th. On the 25th, the World Health Organization issued a statement stating that after discussion, the committee has made a series of recommendations to the WHO Director General, Tedros, regarding the current situation of virus transmission and future prevention and control. The Director General has adopted the recommendations and decided on the 23rd that the risk of transmission of polio virus still constitutes an "international public health emergency of concern". According to the World Health Organization, since the last evaluation meeting of the committee, Pakistan and Afghanistan have reported 1 and 5 new cases of wild poliovirus infection, respectively; Since the discovery of wild poliovirus in Africa in February 2022, coordinated actions by multiple countries have improved the situation. Since August 10, 2022, Mozambique has not reported any new cases, but the committee believes that previous assessments have not yet ruled out the possibility of wild polio virus transmission in Malawi and Mozambique. For the vaccine derived type 2 poliovirus, the committee stated that although the number of cases infected with this virus continues to decline, the risk of its international transmission remains high. It is reported that when a community's immunity to poliovirus decreases to a certain level, the attenuated virus in oral vaccines can spread for a long time, leading to "vaccine derived poliovirus transmission". Based on factors such as the risk of cross-border transmission of poliovirus, inadequate virus monitoring in some regions, and insufficient vaccination in some areas, the committee believes that the risk of international transmission of poliovirus still exists. The committee calls for strengthened comprehensive monitoring of the virus. Polio, commonly known as polio, is an acute infectious disease caused by the poliovirus, mainly affecting children under the age of 5. Patients may experience symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, etc. In severe cases, they may become paralyzed or die. There is no cure for this disease, and vaccination is the most cost-effective way to prevent it. Oral vaccines made from attenuated live viruses are one of the most commonly used polio vaccines.