TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Health Ministry’s spokesperson Muhammad Syahril reported that three children were confirmed positive for polio in Pidie District, Aceh. The children were suddenly paralyzed without showing any symptoms.

The finding was based on the results of a follow-up examination of children aged less than 5 years in the region after the authority detected one polio case in early November. “From the results of examinations of 19 children, three children are found positive for the poliovirus,” said Syahril in a written statement, Thursday, November 24, 2022.

In early November 2022, the Health Ministry declared an extraordinary occurrence (KLB) of polio right after detecting one case in Pidie. Thus, an epidemiological search was launched in the region to 19 healthy children who had no contact with the initial case in order to assess whether or not virus transmission had occurred in the community.

The examination was conducted by applying the targeted healthy stool sampling method as recommended by WHO. However, according to WHO guidelines, the three children were not included in the case criteria because they did not suffer sudden paralysis.

The Health Ministry keeps monitoring the region, including screening house to house, to ensure there are no additional cases of unreported paralysis. Polio is a highly dangerous disease for children because of its permanent impact. Moreover, there is no cure for the disease to date.

However, the poliovirus could be prevented through complete polio vaccination, both bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (bOPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).

“Thus we must protect the future of our children by providing complete polio immunization,” said Syahril, adding that a clean and healthy lifedata-style is the second key to preventing polio transmission in the community.

NESA AQILA

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