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Today’s Infectious Disease News (10/27/19)

WHO Announces Type 3 Polio Has Been Eradicated

Less than 5 years after type 2 polio was eradicated, type 3 polio has been officially eradicated, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared this week. The achievement was made possible by concerted international efforts to vaccinate against the disease. Two out of 3 strains of polio have now been eradicated on a global scale. Despite the significant progress made overall in recent years, The Philippines confirmed its first two cases of polio in two decades. “The eradication of wild polio virus type 3 is a major milestone toward a polio-free world, but we cannot relax,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s regional director for Africa. Moeti warned that in order to prevent a resurgence of polio, “countries must strengthen routine immunization to protect communities, ramp up routine surveillance so that we are able to detect even the slightest risk of polio re-emerging”.

Full Story: Reuters

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