tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
To many Europeans, poliomyelitis is an ancient foe. But for the first time in years, there is a risk that the crippling paralytic disease is about to make an unwelcome return. Poliovirus has re-emerged on Europe?s southeastern flank ? in Israel and Syria ? leaving public-health officials concerned that the disease could be imported and again become established on the continent.
Europe is surprisingly vulnerable. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared its European region, which now spans 53 countries from Portugal to Russia, free of polio in 2002. But many countries have since dropped their guard. Surveillance systems are often incomplete and of poor quality, and suboptimal vaccination rates mean that many countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany, are considered to be susceptible to outbreaks sparked by imported cases1, 2 (see ?Polio threat?).
The situation is ?a wake up call?, says Marc Sprenger, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Stockholm. Given the weaknesses in European polio defences, the extensive levels of travel between Europe and Israel, and the millions of refugees fleeing Syria, the ECDC thinks that there is a real risk of outbreaks in the European Union (EU). Member states are taking the threat of import ?extremely seriously?, Sprenger adds.
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http://www.nature.com/news/polio-risk-looms-over-europe-1.14049
Europe is surprisingly vulnerable. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared its European region, which now spans 53 countries from Portugal to Russia, free of polio in 2002. But many countries have since dropped their guard. Surveillance systems are often incomplete and of poor quality, and suboptimal vaccination rates mean that many countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany, are considered to be susceptible to outbreaks sparked by imported cases1, 2 (see ?Polio threat?).
The situation is ?a wake up call?, says Marc Sprenger, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Stockholm. Given the weaknesses in European polio defences, the extensive levels of travel between Europe and Israel, and the millions of refugees fleeing Syria, the ECDC thinks that there is a real risk of outbreaks in the European Union (EU). Member states are taking the threat of import ?extremely seriously?, Sprenger adds.
...
http://www.nature.com/news/polio-risk-looms-over-europe-1.14049