The Frame
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June 18, 2012
World close to ending polio, yet it's a tough foe

AZIZ KHAN GHARI, Pakistan (AP) -- Less than four months ago the world was cheered to learn that India had gone a full year with no new cases of polio -- a landmark that left only Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria on the World Health Organization's list of countries where the disease is endemic.

But the battle is far from over, judging by the WHO's latest expressions of alarm. It says that in both Nigeria and Afghanistan the number is creeping up, while budget shortfalls are jeopardizing the effort to hold polio at bay in 24 other high-risk countries.

And then, on Saturday, a militant commander in northwest Pakistan warned polio vaccination teams to stay away from the territory he controls near the Afghan border, saying he would not allow immunizations until U.S. drone attacks in the country are stopped.

The statement by Hafiz Gul Bahadur is an obstacle to efforts to beat polio on Pakistan.

The polio virus, which usually infects children in unsanitary conditions, attacks the nerves and can kill or paralyze. It can spread widely and unnoticed before it starts crippling children. On average about one in 200 cases will result in paralysis.

(15 images)




persistent_polio_01.jpg
Afghan polio victim Laila, 19, waits to have her new prosthetic fitted at the ICRC physical rehabilitation center in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday May, 27, 2012. In February 2012, the world was cheered to learn that India had gone a full year with no new cases of polio - a landmark that left only Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria on the World Health Organization's list of countries where the disease is endemic. But the battle is far from over, judging by the WHO's latest expressions of alarm. It says that in both Nigeria and Afghanistan the number is creeping up, while budget shortfalls are jeopardizing the effort to hold polio at bay in 24 other high-risk countries. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_02.jpg
Afghan polio victim Samiulah, 15, tests his new prosthetic at the ICRC physical rehabilitation center in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday May, 28, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_03.jpg
Afghan polio patients Samiulah, 15, left, and Musa, 15, wait to have their prostheses checked at the ICRC physical rehabilitation center in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday May, 27, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_04.jpg
Afghan polio victim Musa, right, 15, is accompanied by his older brother, Nordahan, at the ICRC physical rehabilitation center in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday May, 27, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_05.jpg
Afghan polio patient Surat, 14, tries to learn how to walk with his new prosthetic at the ICRC physical rehabilitation center in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday May, 28, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_06.jpg
Afghan polio victim Surat, 14, tests his new prosthetic at the ICRC physical rehabilitation center in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday May, 28, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_07.jpg
An orthopedist works on a small prosthetic leg for a polio patient at the ICRC physical rehabilitation center in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday May, 27, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_08.jpg
Fariha, a 13-month-old girl whose legs are bound in small plastic braces, is carried by her uncle Faizullah, a day laborer, at their family house in Aziz Khan Ghari, Pakistan, outside Peshawar on Wednesday May 30, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_09.jpg
A 13-month-old girl whose legs are bound in small plastic braces, is carried around by her older sister Sana at their house in Aziz Khan Ghari, Pakistan, outside Peshawar on Wednesday May 30, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_10.jpg
Fariha, a 13-month-old girl whose legs are bound in small plastic braces, is attended by her older sister Sana at their house in Aziz Khan Ghari, Pakistan, outside Peshawar on Wednesday May 30, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_11.jpg
Female district health team workers wait for polio vaccination patients outside a children's hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Wednesdday May 30, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_12.jpg
An Afghan health worker gives a Polio vaccination to a child in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Sunday, June 10, 2012. AP / Rahmat Gul
persistent_polio_13.jpg
A Pakistani child is given a polio vaccination by a district health team worker outside a children's hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Sunday May 30, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_14.jpg
A Pakistani child gets her finger marked with ink after being vaccinated against polio by a district health team worker outside a children's hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Wednesday May 30, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
persistent_polio_15.jpg
A boy and his mother peek through a window decorated with a banner urging people to take polio vaccinations outside a children's hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on Wednesday May 30, 2012. AP / Anja Niedringhaus
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