Africa: 85% of Children Affected By Polio in 2023 Lived in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Countries

[ad_1] Of the 541 children affected by polio globally in 2023, 85 per cent live in the 31 fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable countries, according to a new UNICEF analysis on World Polio Day. Polio cases in these settings have more than doubled in the past five years, while routine childhood immunization has dropped from 75 to 70 per cent - well below the 95 per cent needed for community immunity. The data issue a stark warning that the life-threatening disease […]

October 25, 2024 3

Africa

Africa: Polio Almost Eradicated but Challenges Persist – Unicef

[ad_1] Since 1988, the number of children affected by polio has dropped by a staggering 99 percent. Polio, once a leading cause of paralysis and death among children worldwide, is now on the verge of eradication. Since 1988, the number of children affected by polio has dropped by a staggering 99 percent. However, the last stretch of the fight remains the hardest. According to UNICEF, over 400 million children across 190 countries are vaccinated against polio each year, but significant […]

October 25, 2024 3

Africa

Africa: 85% of Children Affected By Polio in 2023 Lived in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Areas – Unicef

[ad_1] Countries facing conflict, natural disasters and humanitarian crises are struggling to provide routine childhood immunisations leaving many children vulnerable to the resurgence of polio, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned in new report. On World Polio Day, UNICEF has issued a stark warning: polio cases in fragile and conflict-affected countries have more than doubled over the past five years, with 85 per cent of the children affected by the disease in 2023 living in these regions. "In conflict, children […]

October 24, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: Enhancing Polio Detection With Advanced Sequencing Technology

[ad_1] Brazzaville — The African region, declared free of indigenous wild poliovirus in August 2020, faces an urgent threat: the intense transmission of type 2 variant poliovirus (cVDPV2). This year alone, 290 poliovirus detections have been reported in 23 African countries. As countries ramp up vaccination efforts to protect children against the virus, one of the most critical components of the response is early and accurate detection. To enhance the effort, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO […]

October 24, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: World News in Brief – DR Congo Clashes, Invest in Ending Polio, Say #idont to Child Marriage

[ad_1] Tensions remain high in North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly in the town of Sake, as clashes persist between M23 rebels and Government forces, the UN mission in the country, MONUSCO, reported on Wednesday. Violence last week forced thousands to flee, and fighting occurred on Tuesday in the outskirts of Sake, which is located some 20 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, Goma. "Our peacekeeping mission is continuing to support the Congolese […]

February 15, 2024 3