While many people have never seen a case of poliomyelitis (polio), Pan American Health Organisation Director Dr Carissa Etienne says it is a disease that crippled generations in the past.
This is why PAHO has alerted all Heads of State in the Americas to ramp up vaccination coverage following New York Governor Kathy Hochul declaring a state of emergency to combat a growing outbreak in the US state.
Etienne sounded the warning during PAHO’s weekly COVID-19 media conference on Wednesday, advising that immunisation is the only way to suppress polio.
It has been nearly 30 years since the Americas became the first region to eradicate polio through comprehensive vaccination campaigns.
“Dwindling vaccination rates worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic have left many of our populations unprotected. Let us be very clear: polio is not a treatable disease. Prevention is the only option, and prevention is only possible with vaccines,” Etienne said.
In July, US authorities uncovered a case of paralysis in a man caused by polio. He was unvaccinated for the disease.
In the following weeks, authorities found polio in wastewater samples in several states, including New York. New York Governor Kathleen Hochul declared a state of emergency on September 9 over the growing outbreak.
Etienne said authorities found the virus circulating in communities, officially constituting an outbreak.
In New York, polio appears and spreads quickly and quietly in communities with insufficient coverage.
“I know that many of you have never seen a case of polio, but let me say that polio crippled generations before vaccines were developed, sentencing thousands of children to lifelong pain and disability. We do not want a return to this scenario, especially when we have the means to stop it,” Etienne said.
The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said polio is a “crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease caused by a virus that spreads from person to person. It invades the brain and spinal cord, which can lead to paralysis. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis. Of those paralysed, 5-1o per cent die when their breathing muscles become immobilised.”
In 1972 in T&T, a polio outbreak forced the closure of schools, saw the deaths of a few children and infamously led to Carnival being postponed that year. At present, regional vaccination coverage is approximately 79 per cent, the lowest since 1994.
Etienne said based on an assessment of vaccination coverage, surveillance and other indicators, the regional certification for polio in the Americas in July listed Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Peru at high risk for reintroducing polio. Argentina, The Bahamas, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Suriname and Venezuela are also at risk.
She said while COVID-19 challenged health systems by disrupting services, hesitancy against vaccines grew, fuelled by misinformation. She said an infant who receives all polio vaccinations has lifelong protection. High levels of vaccination in a country prevent the reintroduction of the disease.
On the COVID-19 front, Etienne said the burden in the region remains too high.
“Nearly 1,000 days into the pandemic, we are losing over 4,000 people from COVID-19 across the Americas every week. We cannot accept this as the new normal.”
Although cases and deaths are falling, she said COVID-19 still exists and there is no indication it will go away soon. Etienne said the risks are significant if people allow the virus to spread as active transmission can lead to new variants.
Monkeypox cases are also still rising in parts of the region despite transmission declining over the past two weeks in the US, Canada and Brazil. Etienne said other countries with large metropolitan populations saw an increase. There is an overall 23 per cent increase in confirmed cases in the Americas, which registered five monkeypox deaths.