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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Health Report. |
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The World Health Organization has declared |
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the Pakistani city of Peshawar the world's |
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"largest reservoir" of endemic polio virus. |
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And WHO officials fear Pakistanis |
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could face travel restrictions |
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unless steps are taken immediately |
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to stop the disease from spreading. |
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Researchers studied all the cases of |
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poliomyelitis in Pakistan last year. |
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The researchers found that almost every case |
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could be linked genetically to the polio virus |
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often reported in Peshawar. |
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They added that all test samples |
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collected from different parts of the city |
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have shown the presence of the highly infections virus. |
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Polio mainly affects children under 5 years of age. |
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The virus is passed through food or water. |
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The virus reproduces in the body |
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and later invades the nerve system. |
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The disease can sometimes lead to paralysis |
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with loss of muscle control in part of the body. |
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The WHO study found that 90 percent of Pakistan's Polio cases |
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could be linked to the virus in Peshawar. |
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In addition, 12 of the 13 polio cases in Afghanistan |
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were also linked to the city. |
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Elias Durry serves as the WHO's emergency coordinator |
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for polio in Pakistan. |
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He says local officials need to take urgent action |
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to strengthen vaccination campaigns. |
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He says the situation in Peshawar not only threatens |
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the gains Pakistan has made against Polio, |
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but could also harm international efforts to stop the disease. |
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"Unless the polio eradication program in Pakistan |
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is able to curtail the transmission in Peshawar, |
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the expansion of the viruses to other places will not stop. |
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So, it is critical that Peshawar, |
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the way it is behaving now, |
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really be able to find ways of interrupting these transmissions |
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that have been consistent throughout the years," said Durry. |
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He also noted an increase in deadly attacks |
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on vaccination campaign workers |
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in and around Peshawar and in other areas. |
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Taliban militants often attack polio workers in Pakistan. |
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The militants accuse them of being American spies |
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or part of a plot to keep Muslims from having babies. |
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Most of the attacks have taken place in Peshawar |
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because the city is close to the country's tribal districts. |
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Extremist groups have bases in those areas. |
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Elias Durry did not reject the possibility of other countries |
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ordering travel and visa restrictions on Pakistan |
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if there is no quick improvement in the situation. |
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In neighboring India, no polio cases have been reported |
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for the past 3 years. |
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Starting this month, all visitors to India from Pakistan |
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are required to show a record of their polio vaccination. |
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And that's the Health Report from VOA Learning English. |
