Ending polio once and for all
The 2019 commemoration of the World Polio Day marks an important milestone and critical challenges to the eradication of polio across the world.
Last Thursday, the world marked Polio Day, on the theme: “One Day. One Focus: Ending Polio.”
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The milestones chalked up since the global effort in eradicating polio have included the 25th anniversary of the polio-free status of the region of the Americas and the Global Certification Commission’s certification of the eradication of Type 3 wild poliovirus (WPV3).
That is why the celebration of World Polio Day cannot be downplayed while at the same time efforts are being made to bring to the fore the critical challenges facing the fight to end polio across the globe.
But despite the successes there are still increases in the number of wild poliovirus cases and the continued spread of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) outbreaks in countries around the world.
In Ghana, the polio virus is circulating with about 60 polio virus isolated cases detected in the environment and three human cases in the Greater Accra and Northern regions since July 2019 to date, according to the Head of the Polio Laboratory at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), Dr John Odoom.
Until July this year, the country had been polio-free and had not recorded any cases for 11 years. The detection in the environment of the polio virus and the recorded three cases in the Greater Accra and Northern regions means that the country also has an uphill task eradicating the virus.
Other important polio facts on Ghana are that there are only 10 environmental surveillance sites in four regions: the Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta and Northern, that are being used to monitor the trend of the disease countrywide; and also the fact that polio detection in the environment means people have it and are spreading it through their stools.
With 16 regions now, the Daily Graphic believes that as a matter of urgency, the country must increase its surveillance sites across the board.
Increasing surveillance would mean that Ghana is not sleeping on its oars in the elimination of the disease, which was extinct in the country 11 years ago.
Yes, it is possible for the country to do it once again and ensure that it also becomes recognised among those that have eliminated the virus.
The fact that the virus is in the environment is also of concern. It presupposes that people are still engaged in open defecation (OD) in communities, which does not bode well for the health of all.
The spread of the polio virus through stools should be a cause of concern for all health administrators in our health facilities across districts.
Indeed, the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana and UNICEF’s District League Table (DLT) that measure the social development status of districts, in their 2019 report, had only three regions: the Upper East, Upper West and Northern, that had actively participated in efforts to be certified as open defecation free (ODF) in 2018; and even with that status, the polio virus was found in one of these regions.
That means we need more action, more engagements and collaboration in the fight against the disease.
In eradicating other polio virus once and for all, there must be strategic alliances with a common goal, that is: the final and complete eradication.
The Daily Graphic believes that it is against the human rights of any Ghanaian child to lose a limb as a result of the polio virus, and under the watch of the Ministry of Health (MoH), it must not happen.
Armed with available information, we believe that the MoH, with its agencies, as well as international bodies such as WHO and UNICEF, as well as community-based organisations, can work in concert for a common goal: kicking polio out completely and forever!
Surveillance centres must also be increased, with public health nurses attached to sensitise all to the common goal of eliminating this age-old disease once and for all.