WHO 'Syrian refugees may have Polio'

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Waltky posted a WHO report stating conflicting times for polio case emergence.

 

[waltky]

Confirmation of a "very dangerous" outbreak of polio in ISIS-held Syria...

UN: Trucks Readied to Send Polio Vaccine For IS-Held Syria
June 15, 2017 — A U.N. humanitarian aid adviser for Syria says trucks are being prepared to ship polio vaccine into Islamic State group-held areas of Deir Ezzor governorate following confirmation of a "very dangerous" outbreak of the virus.

Jan Egeland made the comment to reporters Thursday in the wake of the confirmation announced last week by the World Health Organization of two cases in Deir Ezzor of a polio strain derived from vaccines that mutated under weakening health and immunization conditions.

A health worker administers polio vaccination to a child in Raqqa, eastern Syria​

He said 58 acute flaccid paralysis cases, a possible symptom of polio, had been reported in Deir Ezzor this year through June 6.

Egeland said "it's one of the remarkable things" of Syria's war that people have been reached with vaccines, even in the Deir Ezzor and Raqqa governorates held by IS.

UN: Trucks Readied to Send Polio Vaccine For IS-Held Syria

 

[waltky]

Jihadis causin' spread of polio in Syria...

Campaign Underway to Stem Polio Outbreak in Syria's Deir Ezzor
July 28, 2017 — A United Nations-led polio immunization campaign to stem an outbreak of this crippling disease is under way in Syria's Deir Ezzor Governorate. The campaign, headed by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund, started on July 22.

The campaign got off to a good start. The World Health Organization reports that hundreds of vaccinators going door to door in this embattled Syrian city managed to inoculate nearly 60,000 children under the age of five on the first day. Security problems had delayed the start of the campaign in Deir Ezzor and continue to pose dangers for the health workers. WHO reports 89 cases of acute flaccid paralysis, which is mainly caused by a wild polio virus, have been detected this year in Deir Ezzor. It also reports another 26 cases of vaccine-derived polio type 2 cases in the area. The agency says one case of vaccine-derived polio has been discovered in Tell Abyad district in Raqqa along with 14 cases of acute flaccid paralysis in the whole region.

Deir Ezzor Syria​

WHO spokesman Tariq Jasarevic said the campaign aims to vaccinate 328,000 children in Deir Ezzor and 120,000 children in Raqqa, when a planned vaccination campaign in that governorate gets under way. "Hopefully, we will be able to stop this outbreak because even though the vaccine-derived polio is in a way less virulent than the wild polio, it is paralyzing children and it also reflects that there is a low level of immunization," he said. WHO reports 355 vaccination teams from local non-governmental organizations are immunizing children at fixed sites or going door to door to make sure no child is missed. Jasarevic said the community acceptance is high.

He said two immunization rounds are planned for Deir Ezzor, although no date for the second round has been set. He said polio vaccines for two rounds have been shipped to Qamishli, in preparation for the planned campaign in Raqqa; however, the raging battle to retake Raqqa — Islamic State's de facto capital — from the militants puts the starting date of the polio immunization campaign in the outskirts of the city in question.

Campaign Underway to Stem Polio Outbreak in Syria's Deir Ezzor

 

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Big News in Syria...

More than 350,000 children vaccinated against polio in hard to reach areas of Syria - UN
Saturday 19th August, 2017 -- A United Nations polio vaccination campaign in Syria has provided protection to more than 355,000 children under age five in two governorates, where violence has made access especially difficult.

In response to a recent outbreak of vaccine-derived polio in the country, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners have completed the first round of a vaccination campaign in the Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa governorates. "UNICEF applauds local partners and health workers for their extraordinary efforts and commitment to vaccinate children against this crippling illness," said Fran Equiza, UNICEF Representative in Syria in a statement. "No child should have to live with the devastating effects of polio," she added.

This is the second polio outbreak to hit Syria since the start of the conflict in 2011. The continued violence has devastated its health infrastructure and severely disrupted routine immunization services, particularly in Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa. Prior to the crisis, Syria was polio-free, with an immunization rate over 80 per cent. National vaccination coverage is now just over 40 per cent. "As of 18 August 2017, 33 children under the age of five have been paralyzed," said Elizabeth Hoff, WHO Representative in Syria. "The detection of the circulating vaccine derived polio virus type 2 cases demonstrates that disease surveillance systems are functional in Syria," she continued. "Our priority now is to achieve the highest possible polio immunization coverage to stop the circulation of virus."

To vaccinate every child in need, UNICEF ran an outreach campaign and provided the vaccines and essential cold chain equipment. WHO has trained more than 1,000 field volunteers, transported the vaccines to the conflict-affected area, and funded the implementation of the campaign. UNICEF and WHO said they will continue engaging with local partners and health personnel in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor Governorates to protect all children from polio. Both agencies also call on all parties to the conflict to allow vaccinators full access to children in need.

More than 350000 children vaccinated against polio in hard to reach areas of Syria - UN