PolioVirus: Polio found in London, New York and Jerusalem

Table of Contents

Polio- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to- Health.

Recently, Polio, a deadly disease, is found to be spreading in London, New York and Jerusalem for the first time in decades, spurring catch-up vaccination campaigns.
Vaccine-derived polio was detected in wastewater in the British capital, London, and in New York in the United States, with one case of paralysis reported in New York state.
Genetically similar virus has also been found in Jerusalem, Israel, and scientists are working to understand the link.

After COVID Travel: While countries including the Britain and the United States no longer use Polio live vaccine.
- However, other countries do use live polio vaccine to stop outbreaks which allows for global spread, particularly as people began to travel again after COVID-19.
Under-Vaccinated Population: experts agree that the major driver behind both vaccine-derived and wild polio outbreaks remains under-vaccinated populations.
COVID-19 & Vaccine Hesitancy: According to UN, Vaccine hesitancy was a growing problem before the pandemic, then COVID-19 caused the worst disruption to routine immunization in a generation.
- In 2020, there were 1,081 vaccine-derived polio cases, around three times as many as the previous year.
- In 2022 so far, there have been 177 cases, after major efforts to get polio vaccination campaigns back on track.

About: Polio is a deadly viral infectious disease that used to paralyze tens of thousands of children every year by affecting nervous system of the patient.
Polio Type: Polio can be categorized following three immunologically distinct wild poliovirus strains-
- Wild Poliovirus type 1 (WPV1)
- Wild Poliovirus type 2 (WPV2)
- Wild Poliovirus type 3 (WPV3)
Symptoms: Affecting mainly children under five, Polio is often asymptomatic but can also cause symptoms including fever and vomiting.
Impact: Around one in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, and among those patients, up to 10% die.
Prevention and Cure: There is no cure of Polio, but since a vaccine was found in the 1950s, polio is entirely preventable.
Present Status: Globally, the wild form of the disease has almost disappeared.
- Afghanistan and Pakistan are now the only countries where the highly infectious disease, spread mainly through contact with faecal matter, remains endemic.
- But this year, imported cases were also found in Malawi and Mozambique, the first in those countries since the 1990s.
Polio in India: After three years of zero cases, India received polio-free certification by the WHO in 2014.
- The last case due to wild poliovirus in the country was detected on 13th January 2011.
- Pulse Polio Campaign is considered as the major Indian initiative that led to elimination of Polio in India.