TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday that polio has reemerged as a public health emergency, after new cases of this disease appeared in a number of countries.
"The conditions for a public health emergency of international concern have been met," WHO assistant director general Bruce Aylward said as quoted by Channel News Asia on Monday.
"If unchecked, this situation could result in failure to eradicate globally one of the world's most serious vaccine preventable diseases," he added.
The WHO had emergency talks last week after polio was discovered in 10 countries, including three endemic countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. In 1998, the disease was endemic in 125 countries.
Polio usually infects children under five years old and spreads through infected water. There has been no medicine or special therapy for this disease but vaccine has been made for prevention.
The decision to declare an emergency for this disease brings with it recommendations for countries where it is endemic to implement vaccine requirements for anyone wishing to travel abroad.
WHO recorded polio cases worldwide have dropped from 350,000 in 1988 to 417 in 2013. This year, 74 cases have been found worldwide, with 59 of them in Pakistan.
