Saturday, January 28, 2023
News on Pathogens and Preparedness
Global Biodefense
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Global Biodefense
No Result
View All Result
Home Medical Countermeasures

WHO to Declare Polio Resurgence a Global Health Emergency

by Global Biodefense Staff
May 23, 2012

The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to this week to declare polio a global health emergency. Efforts to eradicate the disease completely have stalled in recent years as demonstrated by a resurgence of the crippling disease in 2011 reported across Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, with a reported 650 cases around the world.  Funding shortfalls are now making it difficult for organizations to stamp out the disease.

“We are really on a tipping point between success and failure,” said Sona Bari, spokeswoman for the Polio Eradication Program at the World Health Organization.  Failing to stamp out the disease could mean recent gains are reversed and as many as 200,000 children crippled by polio in the next decade.

A document on polio prepared by the WHO for this week’s World Health Assembly (WHA) says, “Already in the first quarter of 2012, an insufficiency of financing required some emergency eradication activities to be scaled back in 24 at risk countries. In line with the development of the Global Polio Emergency Action Plan 2012-13, a new more efficient strategy is being examined which would combine the eradication of the residual wild poliovirus transmission with the polio endgame strategy.”

The first polio vaccine was developed in the 1950s and a second version — given orally — is credited with reducing cases by more than 99 per cent. These Oral Polio Vaccines (OPV) contain a weakened version of poliovirus, activating an immune response in the body. A vaccinated person transmits the weakened virus to others that also develop antibodies to polio, ultimately stopping transmission of poliovirus in a community.

Tags: Polio

Related Posts

DARPA Selects Teams to Develop Vaccine Durability Prediction Model
Medical Countermeasures

DARPA Selects Teams to Develop Vaccine Durability Prediction Model

January 13, 2023
small glass vials on an assembly line await filling of vaccine solution
Industry News

Sabin Vaccine Institute to Advance Ebola Sudan and Marburg Vaccines with New BARDA Funding

January 12, 2023
How Are Bivalent COVID Vaccines Stacking Up Against Omicron?
Infectious Diseases

How Are Bivalent COVID Vaccines Stacking Up Against Omicron?

January 12, 2023
NISTCHO: New Living Reference Material for Producing Monoclonal Antibodies
Medical Countermeasures

NISTCHO: New Living Reference Material for Producing Monoclonal Antibodies

January 12, 2023
Load More

Latest News

Partner Therapeutics’ Novel Approach to Stratify Sepsis Patients Gains Backing From BARDA

Biopreparedness Research Virtual Environment (BRaVE) Initiative Backed by $105M DOE Funding

January 25, 2023
Influenza Proteins Tilt and Wave in ‘Breath-like’ Motions

Influenza Proteins Tilt and Wave in ‘Breath-like’ Motions

January 25, 2023
Biodefense Headlines – 24 January 2023

Biodefense Headlines – 24 January 2023

January 24, 2023
Biodefense Headlines – 17 January 2023

Biodefense Headlines – 17 January 2023

January 17, 2023

Subscribe

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC