To mark World Polio (Prevention) Day, UNICEF has issued a dire warning saying polio cases in conflict-affected countries have more than doubled in the past five years. UNICEF says that 85 percent of children affected by polio in 2023 will come from these areas.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said, “Children in conflict face more than just bombs and gunfire; “They are at risk of contracting fatal diseases that have been completely eradicated.”
The agency’s latest analysis shows that vaccination coverage has fallen from 75 percent to 70 percent, below the 95 percent needed to achieve community immunity.
“We are seeing the collapse of health care systems in many countries. Water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed, and families have been displaced, leading to the resurgence of diseases like polio,” he said.
Impact on conflict-affected countries
Polio outbreaks are most common in conflict-affected areas. Currently, 15 of the 21 countries are fighting polio or are conflict-affected, including Afghanistan, Democratic Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.
In Gaza, where polio has returned for the first time in 25 years, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched an emergency polio vaccination campaign in September. About 6 lakh children below 10 years of age have been vaccinated under this. However, the operation has not been completed due to recent incidents of bombing and mass displacement and is currently stuck in northern Gaza.
The UNICEF report emphasizes that for polio vaccination campaigns in conflict-affected countries to be successful, a humanitarian ceasefire is essential, so that health workers can safely reach affected communities.
More than one billion polio vaccines are delivered annually by UNICEF. UNICEF called on governments and international partners to take immediate action to stop the spread of the disease.
‘last step’
“The spread of polio not only puts children in affected countries at immediate risk, but also poses a growing threat to neighboring countries,” said Catherine Russell.
“The last step is the hardest, but it’s time to act, until every child in every corner of the world is protected from polio.”