CONGO. Brazzaville: The World Health Organisation (WHO) for Africa Region hails the eradication of polio and the strides made by Eswatini as some of the major achievements in the African Health sector for the year 2020.
According to a statement released by the UN body says Africa was declared free from the polio virus in August 2020.
“This was the second time a virus has been eliminated since the smallpox was eliminated four decades ago”, reads a statement on its website.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under 5 years of age. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g. contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.
The effects of polio include making its victims crippled and causing death requires immunisation of every child until the transmission is stopped.
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Other Achievements
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic taking a toll on the continent, a 99 year old Senegalese woman survived the virus. Other people are alleged to be hugely affected by the virus.
Earlier in April 2020, 275,000 children received the first dose of malaria vaccine in countries like Kenya, Ghana and Malawi. The WHO Africa region has over 47 members most of them from the submission Sahara region.
