AFRICA/KENYA - Thousands of children under 5 years of age will be immunized against polio epidemic

Nakuru (Agenzia Fides) - Alarm on behalf of healthcare professionals following the confirmation of three cases of wild polio (caused by the virus present innature) of type 1 in western Kenya. The violence of this virus means that even a single case generates an epidemic. The three victims recorded so far are children in the area of Kamagambo in the Rongo district, west of the country. It is a type similar to that discovered in 2010 in Uganda in the Bugiri district. To cope with this emergency, a mass vaccination campaign has been programmed for at least 1.8 million children under 5 years of age, in the Rongo district and neighboring Homabay, Kisii, Kisumu, Nyamiri, Migori and Transmara. In addition, a group of epidemiologists have been sent to the region to raise awareness among health professionals. Parents have been urged to consult their doctors for the treatment of children with fever, fatigue, vomiting symptoms and neck stiffness. The virus is commonly associated with paralysis, and on average, one person out of 200 develops irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs. In Kenya, there have been sporadic outbreaks of polio cases as well as in the northern districts of Garissa and Turkana in 2006 and 2009. According to the Ministry of Health, the outbreaks were linked to the spread of polio in Somalia and southern Sudan. In 2009-2010, 23 countries which were previously immune were infected again due to the introduction of the virus. The disease is preventable through a vaccine administered several times. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 20/09/2011)