WHO: Polio outbreak in Namibia

2006-06-10 16:55

Geneva - Three cases of polio have been confirmed in Namibia.

According to the World Health Organisation, the three cases are the first instances of the disease in the country since 1996.

WHO said 37 suspected cases of polio were also being investigated, and that seven people had died from suspected polio in the outbreak.

"What's bizarre about this virus is it's primarily infecting adults," said WHO spokesperson Oliver Rosenbauer on Saturday. "It's very unusual in adults."

The Namibian outbreak was most likely imported from neighbouring Angola but was not a significant setback in WHO's fight to eradicate polio, said Rosenbauer.

"We're going to see these importations until the virus is gone from the endemic countries," he said. "We're going to keep seeing these outbreaks."

Namibia is stepping up its immunisation campaigns to stamp out the outbreak.

Entire population to be vaccinated

It is aiming to vaccinate its entire two million population, rather than just children.

Rosenbauer said the disease had probably spread to adults because they were not immunised as children.

The cases of sudden paralysis were mainly in the area of Windhoek, said WHO.

The first reported case was the sudden paralysis of a 39-year-old man on May 8. He was later confirmed to have contracted polio.

According to the Namibia Press Agency, Namibians are flocking to hospitals and clinics for the vaccine since the outbreak was confirmed.

But the country's health officials said they needed to import supplies and could only begin the campaign later this month.

Polio is still classified as endemic in Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

- AP