VACCINATION KEY TO MAINTAINING BOTSWANA’S POLIO FREE STATUS

The Health ministry joined the rest of Africa in the final week of April to mark the African Vaccination Week (AVW) aimed at raising awareness of the importance of immunization for the general health and wellbeing of the African and wider population.

Held under the slogan, “Long Life for All”, AVW is the celebration of the important role vaccines have played throughout history in protecting the lives of people of all ages. Vaccination against polio disease for instance is one of the most widely known vaccination campaigns in the country. The country last carried out a massive campaign to immunize 200,000 children against polio following an outbreak in 2004.

What is polio?

Poliomyelitis or polio is a highly infectious disease that invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis within hours and largely affects children under the age of five. While there is no cure for polio, it can be prevented by administration of a vaccine. “This disease is considered life-threatening. The poliovirus is transmitted through contaminated contact with an infected person, contaminated food or water,” states the WHO. This virus mutates in the body of a vaccinated child and is then passed on through their faeces. This mutated virus can cause paralysis if it infects another child who has not been vaccinated. According to the WHO, polio can be easily imported into a polio-free country and spread rapidly among under-immunized populations. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, 5-10 percent of whom die when their breathing muscles become immobilised.

Transmission

Botswana has not reported any cases of wild polio (WPV1) since 2004. As of 2021, this type of polio was eradicated worldwide in all but two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.That is until recently in February when Malawi declared a polio outbreak after a case was detected in a young child in the capital Lilongwe, the first case of wild poliovirus in Africa in more than five years, according to the WHO.

Symptoms

Centre for Disease Control says about 7 out of every 10 who get infected with the poliovirus will not have any visible symptoms. “About 1 out of 4 people with poliovirus infection will have flu-like symptoms,” states the CDC. These symptoms may include sore throat, nausea, headaches, fever, fatigue, and abdominal pain. These symptoms will usually last for 2 to 5 days, then go away on their own. Where severe symptoms are experienced, the CDC states that someone with this virus may suffer from symptoms that could affect their nervous system. “These include paresthesia which is the feeling of pins and needles in the legs, meningitis which is the infection of the covering of the spinal cord and, or brain, and paralysis,” states the CDC. Out of these three symptoms, paralysis is the most severe outcome. It is also the most common cause of permanent disability and polio-related deaths. “Between 2 and 10 out of 100 people who have paralysis from poliovirus infection die, because the virus affects the muscles that help them breathe,” the CDC states.

Complications

Although it is possible for polio to be managed and treated if detected in a child early, the CDC cautions that having your baby exposed to this virus could lead to health problems in the child’s later years. “The child can seem to fully recover from this virus, but they may develop post-polio syndrome fifteen to forty years later. Post-polio syndrome is characterised by muscle pain, weakness, or paralysis,” says the CDC.

Immunisation

Immunisation is the best form of defense against the polio virus. Outside of immunisation, there is no cure for polio. According to the Botswana Immunisation Schedule, this immunisation should start soon after your baby is born. Oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) is the most common method of polio immunisation. With this method, children receive doses of the vaccine by drops in the mouth. There is also the Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) which is administered through an injection. Botswana introduced IPV in September 2015 as part of the global request to enhance polio eradication. Babies will normally receive their polio vaccine at months two, three, fourth and a booster at 18 months. At this stage, the newborn will receive the oral polio vaccine in two drops orally. This vaccine is meant to prevent poliomyelitis (polio). During vaccination, three doses of live-attenuated oral polio vaccine produce protective antibodies to all three poliovirus types in more than 95 percent of children who are immunised. Besides the oral polio vaccine, there is the inactivated polio vaccine which is given by injection with dosage depending on the baby’s age. “Almost all children who get all the recommended doses of polio vaccine will be protected from polio,” the CDC states. Meanwhile following the AVW,the health ministry has set aside the month of May as Child Health Days meant for accelerating High Impact Interventions(HIIs) such as Vitamin A supplementation; Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT), exclusive breastfeeding promotion, growth monitoring, nutrition screening, mass distribution of LLITNs in Malaria endemic districts, deworming and promotion of hand washing throughout the country.