The three countries where polio is still endemic - Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan - are conducting aggressive immunization campaigns to vaccinate more children against the disease. Experts say with India now polio-free and the total number of cases at the lowest level ever, this is an opportunity to change history and irradicate the disease entirely. To reinforce that commitment, many world leaders will be meeting in New York this month.
The oral polio vaccine has cut the number of polio cases worldwide by 99 percent since 1988. For the past 10 years, though, eliminating that last percent has remained a challenge.
Even though the total number of cases has declined, experts say every time they have knocked the virus out in one country, they have seen it pop up in another.
“We have the highest population immunity throughout the entire world right now, and we are really talking about just a few districts and a few countries with a population that has been missed for a fairly long period of time,” said Ellyn Ogden is worldwide polio eradication coordinator for the US Agency for International Development.
Dr. Liam Donaldson, Britain's Chief Medical Officer, who is head of the World Health Organization's Independent Monitoring Board for polio eradication, spoke via Skype, and said the board is especially worried about Nigeria.
“So our good news is mixed with continuing concerns," said Donaldson. "The numbers were coming down, but over the last year we have seen a worrying increase in Nigeria. Polio in Nigeria isn’t just a problem for the population of Nigeria. A lot of the outbreaks that have occurred in other parts of Africa have been fed from epicenters in Nigeria, so that’s why it’s very important not just for Nigeria but for other parts of Africa, as well.”
Donaldson said polio eradication programs are not on track to stop polio virus transmission by 2012.
While polio eradication is urgent, Ogden said these last remaining reservoirs, such as Nigeria and Pakistan, make it difficult to put a date on success.
“It may not happen in the time frame that we are thinking or in the budget that we are thinking, it may take longer and cost more, but I think the effort and the nearness merit additional investments by donors and partners that it's still too early to give up on this ship," said Ogden.
Donaldson said that with 125 cases reported so far this year, one final push is needed to get polio eradication over the finish line.
polio: 小儿麻痹症
半个月提高雅思听力1.5分的练习方法
雅思听力备考的三个常见误区
详解雅思听力考试中的六个陷阱
雅思听力高分需要关注的四个部分
雅思听力租房场景常考题目类型及技巧
浅谈真正提高雅思听力水平的几个要点
解析雅思听力中的缩写词:字母、图像
雅思听力词汇的两种基本备考方案
避免雅思听力考试出现失误的准备方法
详解精听法提高雅思听力水平的练习方法
详解雅思听力考试中的同义转换
雅思听力备考相关问题解答
雅思听力健康场景高频词汇点拨
从四个方面有效地提高雅思听力成绩
文化常识对雅思听力的提升作用
雅思听力号码考点的应对策略指导
雅思听力简化符号笔记分享:字母、图像
雅思听力考试拿高分的三大策略
雅思听力考试的三种备考方案
半个月提高雅思听力水平的练习方法
雅思听力攀登高分的六个步骤
雅思听力考试中的易混同音词汇整理
雅思听力场景重要词汇大全
雅思听力考试常见短语30个
详解雅思听力中的数学符号缩写词
细数雅思听力的24条高分技巧
雅思听力题干生词的处理方法
雅思听力七大陷阱见招拆招
雅思听力考试过程中的四大技巧
雅思听力6分的学习计划表分享
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |