Cameroon has declared a public emergency after reporting a polio case in its far north, four years after the virus disappeared from the country.
Through a statement, the ministry of health confirmed that the polio type 2 was found in the Mada area in the remote north bordering Chad and Nigeria
It further reads we declared “new polio epidemic following the confirmation of a case of poliovirus type 2 detected in samples.”
According to a source at the ministry, the outbreak may have been caused in part by a refusal of vaccinations and the cross-border movement of people in the area.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease which mainly affects young children and can result in permanent paralysis. There is no cure and it can only be prevented through immunisation.
International polio vaccination efforts have run into problems in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Militants and religious leaders in rural areas often tell locals’ immunisation is part of a shadowy conspiracy to weaken their faith.
