China, India under thread from polio virus from Pakistan
Imported polio virus leaves 1 infant dead in Xinjiang, China
BEIJING, (Xinhua) -- One of the nine infants in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region diagnosed with polio, a disease that can cause irreversible paralysis, has died of the disease, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday.
The other eight infants are still receiving treatment but are out of danger, said Deng Haihua, a ministry spokesperson.
The nine patients were all from Xinjiang's Hotan Prefecture, Deng said, adding that the disease has not been found in other parts of the country.
The MOH has reported the cases to the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the WHO has confirmed that the virus came from Pakistan.
The center said the WHO confirmed this after gene sequencing showed that the virus had a 99 percent resemblance to the wild poliovirus that caused an outbreak in Pakistan in 2009.
The MOH has sent three teams of experts, headed by Health Minister Chen Zhu and Chen's deputy, Yin Li, to Xinjiang to inspect the situation, Deng said.
The ministry also dispatched 90 experts from other parts of China to assist in disease prevention tactics in Xinjiang, including active search and immunization, he said.
"Through strengthened immunization in key areas, a barrier will be established to block the transmission of the poliovirus," Deng said.
The government of Xinjiang decided to conduct two rounds of immunizations for susceptible groups on Sept. 8-12 and Oct. 8-12.
"As long as there is poliovirus prevalent in the world, countries eradicating the virus are still in danger," Deng said.
Poliomyelitis, or polio, is a viral disease of the brain and spinal cord that mainly affects children under five years of age. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs.
Xinjiang neighbors Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, three of the four polio-endemic countries in the world.
Before the Hotan outbreak, China had been polio-free for 11 years.
Imported polio virus leaves 1 infant dead in Xinjiang
India battles polio virus from Pakistan
NEW DELHI: It's cross-border terror of a different kind. India is on high alert against the deadly polio virus coming into the country from Pakistan and the health ministry has asked the Punjab government to mandatorily vaccinate all children aged 0-5 years coming to India from Pakistan.
Booths have been set up at the Wagah border for people coming from Pakistan by foot or by the Indo-Pak bus service. Immunization officers have also been pressed into duty at the Attari station for passengers taking the train from Pakistan. The booths will administer polio drops every day for the next four months, considered to be the high transmission time for the contagious virus.
Pakistan till now has recorded 84 cases of polio of which 83 are of the P1 strain – the most dangerous since it travels faster and infects more people.
India battles polio virus from Pakistan - Times Of India
Polio threat from Pakistan, screening at Wagah border
Polio threat from Pakistan, screening at Wagah border - IBN Live
Imported polio virus leaves 1 infant dead in Xinjiang, China
BEIJING, (Xinhua) -- One of the nine infants in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region diagnosed with polio, a disease that can cause irreversible paralysis, has died of the disease, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday.
The other eight infants are still receiving treatment but are out of danger, said Deng Haihua, a ministry spokesperson.
The nine patients were all from Xinjiang's Hotan Prefecture, Deng said, adding that the disease has not been found in other parts of the country.
The MOH has reported the cases to the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the WHO has confirmed that the virus came from Pakistan.
The center said the WHO confirmed this after gene sequencing showed that the virus had a 99 percent resemblance to the wild poliovirus that caused an outbreak in Pakistan in 2009.
The MOH has sent three teams of experts, headed by Health Minister Chen Zhu and Chen's deputy, Yin Li, to Xinjiang to inspect the situation, Deng said.
The ministry also dispatched 90 experts from other parts of China to assist in disease prevention tactics in Xinjiang, including active search and immunization, he said.
"Through strengthened immunization in key areas, a barrier will be established to block the transmission of the poliovirus," Deng said.
The government of Xinjiang decided to conduct two rounds of immunizations for susceptible groups on Sept. 8-12 and Oct. 8-12.
"As long as there is poliovirus prevalent in the world, countries eradicating the virus are still in danger," Deng said.
Poliomyelitis, or polio, is a viral disease of the brain and spinal cord that mainly affects children under five years of age. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs.
Xinjiang neighbors Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, three of the four polio-endemic countries in the world.
Before the Hotan outbreak, China had been polio-free for 11 years.
Imported polio virus leaves 1 infant dead in Xinjiang
India battles polio virus from Pakistan
NEW DELHI: It's cross-border terror of a different kind. India is on high alert against the deadly polio virus coming into the country from Pakistan and the health ministry has asked the Punjab government to mandatorily vaccinate all children aged 0-5 years coming to India from Pakistan.
Booths have been set up at the Wagah border for people coming from Pakistan by foot or by the Indo-Pak bus service. Immunization officers have also been pressed into duty at the Attari station for passengers taking the train from Pakistan. The booths will administer polio drops every day for the next four months, considered to be the high transmission time for the contagious virus.
Pakistan till now has recorded 84 cases of polio of which 83 are of the P1 strain – the most dangerous since it travels faster and infects more people.
India battles polio virus from Pakistan - Times Of India
Polio threat from Pakistan, screening at Wagah border
Polio threat from Pakistan, screening at Wagah border - IBN Live
