Polio Outbreak In Syria Linked To Pakistan

Polio_Syria_Pakistan_2013Beirut (AFP) – An outbreak of polio that has paralysed 13 children in war-torn Syria is linked to a strain of the virus from Pakistan, the World Health Organisation said Monday.

The vaccination of children in Syria has been disrupted by the 31-month conflict between President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and rebels fighting to topple his regime.

“Thirteen cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) have been confirmed in the Syrian Arab Republic,” the WHO said in a statement.

“Genetic sequencing indicates that the isolated viruses are most closely linked to (a) virus detected in environmental samples in Egypt in December 2012” related to wild poliovirus detected in Pakistan, it added.

“Closely related wild poliovirus strains have also been detected in environmental samples in Israel, (the) West Bank and Gaza Strip since February 2013.”

The United Nations said last week that emergency plans were being made to vaccinate more than 20 million children in the Middle East after polio resurfaced in Syria.

Source: Yahoo News