News / National
Polio outbreak in Harare suburbs
31 Oct 2023 at 01:40hrs | Views
An outbreak of polio has been declared in three suburbs of Harare by the Ministry of Health and Child Care. This announcement comes shortly after the fourth round of the Polio Oral Vaccination campaign, which aimed to reach 2.8 million children under five years of age across the nation.
Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, the Minister of Health and Child Care, issued a statement outlining the urgent need to activate the Incident Management System to address this situation effectively. He declared the outbreak of a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in the Harare suburbs of Budiriro, Mbare, and Mufakose. The Incident Management System will be activated with an appointed Incident Manager for the Polio response to coordinate outbreak containment and further spread prevention.
Dr. Mombeshora appealed for intervention from organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and others, requesting financial and technical support. It's important to note that last year, countries including Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia reported cases of poliomyelitis, and vaccination campaigns have been conducted in Zimbabwe to prevent this crippling disease among young children.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a debilitating and potentially fatal disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can infect a person's spinal cord, leading to paralysis. While there is no cure for polio, it can be effectively prevented through safe vaccination. In the United States, the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has been administered since 2000, typically given via a shot in the arm or leg, depending on the recipient's age.
Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, the Minister of Health and Child Care, issued a statement outlining the urgent need to activate the Incident Management System to address this situation effectively. He declared the outbreak of a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in the Harare suburbs of Budiriro, Mbare, and Mufakose. The Incident Management System will be activated with an appointed Incident Manager for the Polio response to coordinate outbreak containment and further spread prevention.
Dr. Mombeshora appealed for intervention from organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and others, requesting financial and technical support. It's important to note that last year, countries including Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia reported cases of poliomyelitis, and vaccination campaigns have been conducted in Zimbabwe to prevent this crippling disease among young children.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a debilitating and potentially fatal disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can infect a person's spinal cord, leading to paralysis. While there is no cure for polio, it can be effectively prevented through safe vaccination. In the United States, the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has been administered since 2000, typically given via a shot in the arm or leg, depending on the recipient's age.
Source - newsday
