DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzanian health authorities on Saturday issued an alert over the threat of polio outbreak.
The alert followed a reported case of polio outbreak in neighboring Malawi on Feb 17 involving a child in the country’s capital, Lilongwe, said a statement by the Ministry of Health.
The Malawi polio case was the first to be reported in Africa in five years. In August 2020, polio was declared eliminated on the African continent.
Tanzania is closely monitoring and assessing the situation in the Songwe, Mbeya and Ruvuma regions that border with Malawi, said the statement signed by Aifello Sichalwe, chief medical officer in the Ministry of Health.
The government is strengthening vaccination against polio and raising awareness on the virus through the media and health centers, the statement added.
Polio is a disabling and life-threatening infectious disease caused by the poliovirus that spreads from person to person. It can infect a person’s spinal cord and cause paralysis.
DAR ES SALAAM, Feb 27 (NNN-Xinhua) — Tanzanian health authorities on Saturday issued an alert over the threat of polio outbreak.
The alert followed a reported case of polio outbreak in neighboring Malawi on Feb 17 involving a child in the country’s capital, Lilongwe, said a statement by the Ministry of Health.
The Malawi polio case was the first to be reported in Africa in five years. In August 2020, polio was declared eliminated on the African continent.
Tanzania is closely monitoring and assessing the situation in the Songwe, Mbeya and Ruvuma regions that border with Malawi, said the statement signed by Aifello Sichalwe, chief medical officer in the Ministry of Health.
The government is strengthening vaccination against polio and raising awareness on the virus through the media and health centers, the statement added.
Polio is a disabling and life-threatening infectious disease caused by the poliovirus that spreads from person to person. It can infect a person’s spinal cord and cause paralysis.
Source: Nam News Network