Categories: HEALTH

Africa to be declared free of wild polio in ‘milestone’!

Spread the news

Polio affects children under five, even sometimes leading to incurable paralysis. Even death can occur when breathing muscles are affected by paralysis. There is no cure but the polio vaccine protects children for life. The disease is now only found in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Nigeria is the last African country that has to be declared free from the disease, as it has accounted for more than half of all global cases less than 10 years ago.

More than 95% of Africa’s population has now been immunised from polio. This was one of the conditions that the Africa Regional Certification Commission set before declaring the continent free from polio. Now only the vaccine-derived poliovirus remains in Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) has now discovered a number of these cases in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic and Angola.

Data source: BBC

TOA Correspondent

Recent Posts

The top Nigerian who hated his own voice

Nigeria’s leading music figure and vocalist, Cobhams Asuquo, known for his singing and production said…

3 years ago

South African court halts Amazon HQ project

Following a mixed reaction from the South African community representatives, Khoi and San, the Cape…

3 years ago

How Digitalization in African Rail Transportation Is Enhancing Safety?

Mitigating the process and service barriers in African rail transportation, the digital disruption has transformed…

3 years ago

Tunisian leader to allow public views on reforms

Kais Saied, the Tunisian president has said in his speech that he will allow the…

3 years ago

The power of Niacinamide in the trending African skincare market

You know the credibility of an ingredient when it’s plastered all over bottles and jars…

3 years ago

Mozambique death toll from Cyclone Gombe rises to 48

Cyclone Gombe that flooded large areas of central and northern Mozambique is consistently leading to…

3 years ago

This website uses cookies.