Mark Kortepeter, M.D. is an infectious disease and public health physician and professor. He has covered Covid-19, bioweapons and infectious disease outbreaks, including plague, measles and listeria. He has particular experience and expertise in bioweapon defense and especially deadly pathogens, such as Ebola virus.
its house-to-house polio vaccination efforts. Whether or not vaccinations will resume is uncertain. This has significant implications, because polio remains a threat despite an ongoing global eradication effort. Afghanistan is one of only two countries left in the world that is endemic for polio, meaning polio continues to spread through the population. Even with recent vaccination efforts there, cases have been on the rise, with two reported in 2022, six in 2023 and 18 thus far in.
However, the report acknowledges how challenging it has been to reach the final goal of eradication. Wild poliovirus type one continues to spread in Afghanistan and Pakistan, along with circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type two, which originates fromthat has mutated and reverted to become capable of causing disease. The vaccine-derived cVDPV2 also continues to fuel outbreaks in other regions of the world.
The cessation of vaccination in Afghanistan adds one more challenge to reaching the desired end state of poliovirus eradication. Ideally, this will change and efforts will be reinvigorated along the lines outlined in the GPEI strategy. Achieving success and a polio-free world is in everyone’s best interest.Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.
Pakistan Polio Vaccine Vaccination Eradication Outbreak Epidemic
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