Four new cases of Polio in Pakistan, plus 50 positive environmental samples. Did you know that most cases of Polio are asymptomatic? Only 1 in 200 cases result in Paralysis. Four paralyzed children means 800 children were infected by Polio.
What is going on in Pakistan? All of the cases occurred in remote areas along the Afghanistan border. It is difficult for vaccination teams to reach these areas and it is also unsafe. Vaccination teams and medical professionals have faced harassment and even physical attacks in some parts of Pakistan. In addition, the border is porous so people cross back and forth between Pakistan and Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, most of the cases in Pakistan have been traced to a variant that originated from Afghanistan.
Rotary and its partners have stepped up to fund 350,000 health workers who vaccinated 300 million children this year with a special emphasis on people crossing the border.
See more details here.