Afghanistan: You can help eradicate polio

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Polio is a crippling disease that affects dozens of children in Afghanistan every year. Polio (poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. One in 200 polio infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs. In Afghanistan, polio cases are mostly reported in its border areas with Pakistan. According to Abdul Qayom Pokhla, chief of Kandahar’s Department of Public Health, at least 24 cases were recorded last year in the south – 11 from Kandahar, 11 from Helmand and 2 from Uruzgan. Because of people’s movement from one place to another, the virus can affect children who have not been immunised against the disease anywhere in the country. Polio cases have decreased by over 99 per cent since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries to 223 reported cases in 2012. In 2013, only parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria remain endemic for the disease, according to a World Health Organization report..

Symptoms

The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. It mainly affects children under five. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs. Among those paralysed, 5 to 10 per cent die when their breathing muscles become immobilised. There is no cure for polio; but, it can be prevented. A polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life.

The government has tasked vaccination workers to go door to door and get all Afghan children vaccinated against polio As long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is determined to ensure that every child is immunised against preventable infectious diseases. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other international organisations, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, run regular vaccination campaigns. However, the success of these programmes depends on people’s cooperation. When you hear that a vaccination team is in town, get your children vaccinated. You can also consult a local doctor about your child’s vaccination schedule. Polio’s eradication from the world will be a great victory for the world. It is not impossible. Smallpox, another viral disease, was eradicated decades ago with effective vaccination programmes. You can help wipe polio out, too!