PAHO says: Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Peru are at high risk of contracting polio due to declining vaccination rates

MEXICO CITY: The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Wednesday said Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Peru are at very high risk for the reintroduction of polio, as dwindling vaccination rates during the coronavirus pandemic has led to historic lows in protection against the illness.

Regional vaccine coverage for polio has fallen to about 79%, the lowest since 1994, PAHO said.

Earlier this month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency in a bid to accelerate efforts to vaccinate residents against polio after the virus was detected in wastewater samples taken in four counties. Cases also have been detected in London and Jerusalem

Carissa Etienne, director of PAHO, told reporters, "Let's be absolutely clear. "There is no cure for polio. The only option is prevention, and vaccinations are the only way to achieve that."

Polio can occasionally result in irreversible paralysis, but it is preventable thanks to a 1955 vaccine. Despite the fact that there is no known treatment, the vaccination offers nearly 100% immunity after three shots.

After polio had been eradicated in the area 30 years previously, according to Etienne, the coronavirus pandemic had led to a decline in vaccination rates that had left many people vulnerable.

She continued by saying that high-risk nations included Argentina, the Bahamas, Ecuador, Panama, Suriname, and Venezuela, and that nearly all of South America presently has vaccine coverage rates below 80%.

Although there are no known instances of polio at this time in Latin America and the Caribbean, PAHO advised all of the region's nations to step up surveillance and actively reach out to unvaccinated populations.

Etienne declared, "I really cannot express this firmly enough." The polio virus can arise and spread quickly and quietly in places with poor vaccination coverage, as we witnessed in New York State.