Two children in Myanmar’s remote northern Rakhine State have developed polio after immunization efforts failed.
The five-year-olds from Maungdaw were diagnosed with a vaccine-derived version of the virus, which can paralyze and is highly contagious, in May and November, according to the World Health Organization.
One had reportedly been given one of the three required doses of the vaccine – which contains a weakened version of polio that in rare cases can develop into the fully-fledged virus – while the other had not.
“The emergence of such cases of vaccine-derived polio virus is due to low immunization coverage,” the WHO said in a joint statement with UNICEF.
The country was declared polio-free just last year but less than 80 per cent of the Rakhine state population has been vaccinated.
“In 2014, in some of the state’s townships, only 27 per cent of children received the three recommended doses of oral polio vaccine,” the statement read.
Starting next month and continuing through January and Februrary, the Ministry of Health is conducting a polio vaccination campaign across more than 10- townships, aiming to immunize 1.4 million children under five years old.
They also intend to introduce inactivated polio vaccine – which does not contain the virus.
“WHO and UNICEF urge the government to expand routine immunization against all antigens to protect children against preventable and debilitating diseases. One immediate step to help reaching this goal is to prioritise vaccines and cold chain in the government’s health budget, which is currently under discussion.
“The concerted efforts of the government and all health partners will result in improved routine immunization coverage nationwide and low risks of vaccine-derived infections outbreaks in future.”
Photo / United Nations / Flickr
