Polio News and Research

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Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. Naturally occurring polio was eliminated in the U.S. in 1979 and in the Western Hemisphere by 1991; however, worldwide efforts are continuing towards eradication of this contagious and devastating disease.

Nigerian polio vaccinators face challenges but aim for eradication by 2018

The Independent reports on the challenges polio vaccinators in Nigeria face, including "the daily gauntlet of militant gangs, kidnappers, and unforgiving waters, on a mission to immunize children."

19 Mar 2013

Examining GPEI Strategic Plan to end polio

Writing in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Apoorva Mallya, a program officer for the foundation's vaccine delivery team, highlights a recent Lancet editorial examining the Global Polio Eradication Initiative's six-year Strategic Plan to end polio.

15 Mar 2013

Taliban alleged to have stopped annual polio vaccination program in rural Afghanistan

"The Taliban have halted an annual polio vaccination campaign in a remote part of Afghanistan, according to a senior official, raising concerns that opposition to the critical immunization drive could be spilling across from insurgent groups in neighboring Pakistan," the Guardian reports.

14 Mar 2013

Japan provides $2.6M to UNICEF to aid Pakistan's polio eradication program

"The Government of Japan has extended a grant of 226 million Japanese Yen (approximately US$2.62 million) to Pakistan through UNICEF for supporting the polio eradication program in Pakistan," Agence France-Presse/Dawn.com reports.

13 Mar 2013

UT Southwestern researcher to receive March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology

Dr. Eric Olson, chairman of molecular biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, is the 2013 recipient of the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology for identifying key genetic pathways in the formation of the heart and other muscles.

11 Mar 2013

Global Vaccine Summit organizers hope to obtain increased commitments to end polio

"The Global Vaccine Summit will be held on April 24 and 25 under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and in partnership with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation," The National reports.

11 Mar 2013

Salk epigenetic findings may aid in crop production and study of human diseases

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified patterns of epigenomic diversity that not only allow plants to adapt to various environments, but could also benefit crop production and the study of human diseases.

7 Mar 2013

Global Vaccine Summit to be held in Abu Dhabi from Apr. 24-25

Under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan , Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and in partnership with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki -moon and Bill Gates , co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, it was announced today that a Global Vaccine Summit will be held in Abu Dhabi on April 24-25, 2013.

7 Mar 2013

Five scientists aim to make strides in predicting and preventing preterm birth

Five researchers from four states are investigating how genetics and infections interact to cause preterm birth as well as how proteins and hormones regulate a healthy pregnancy, all with the goal of giving more babies a healthy start in life, the March of Dimes announced today.

5 Mar 2013

Editorial, opinion piece address efforts to eradicate polio

The Independent recently published an editorial and opinion piece discussing the global effort to eradicate polio.

5 Mar 2013

UAE Exchange Shamshabad branch actively participated in Pulse Polio immunization program

"Children's Health, The Nation's Wealth" is the motto that all the staff of UAE Exchange Shamshabad branch held close to their heart. The second phase of the Pulse Polio Immunization program, was held across India on February 24th.

5 Mar 2013

Community-led engagement, greater access needed to end polio

"While the challenges we face in the last polio reservoirs are difficult, they are not intractable," Bekele Geleta, secretary general of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, writes in an AlertNet opinion piece.

2 Mar 2013

Sustained funding necessary for success of global polio eradication plan

"We are teaming up to tackle one of the most ambitious public health goals ever set: eradicating polio, a disease that has haunted humanity at least since ancient Egypt," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P., and Bill Gates, chair of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, write in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

2 Mar 2013

India needs political leadership, resources to ensure children's right to health

"India is making positive strides in reducing child mortality through new policies and ambitious programs, but preventing the deaths of millions of children remains one of the country's greatest challenges," health expert and blogger John Butler writes in the Wall Street Journals "India Real Time" blog, noting, "Roughly 1.7 million children under five years old die every year in India, says UNICEF, representing more than a fifth of all child deaths worldwide."

2 Mar 2013

WHO officials, Islamic leaders to meet in Egypt to discuss attacks on polio workers

"Top World Health Organization officials and Islamic leaders will meet in Egypt next week in an effort to stop attacks on polio workers, which are hampering the eradication of the virus in some countries with large Muslim populations," Reuters reports, noting, "Gunmen in Pakistan and Nigeria have killed more than 20 health workers in the past three months in a series of attacks linked to a backlash against the immunization program against the crippling virus."

2 Mar 2013

New York City Mayor Bloomberg pledges $100M to global polio eradication initiative

"New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has pledged $100 million to help the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others to fight polio around the world," the Associated Press reports.

1 Mar 2013

CSIS report examines Global Health Policy in Second Obama Term

"I am pleased to share with you a new report and video series from the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, 'Global Health Policy in the Second Obama Term,'" J. Stephen Morrison, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) and director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, writes in a letter posted on the center's "Smart Global Health" blog.

28 Feb 2013

Police escort of polio workers killed in northern Pakistan

"Health workers administering polio vaccinations to children came under attack in northern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing their police escort, authorities said," CNN reports.

27 Feb 2013

Polio eradication strategy must be adjusted for local contexts

"It has been a particularly busy couple of months for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)," SciDev.Net Director Nick Ishmael Perkins writes in a SciDev.Net editorial. "The deadly attacks on vaccinators in Pakistan brought renewed global attention to the campaign, and then Bill Gates went public with his personal commitment to end polio," he states, adding, "The GPEI has responded with a strategy for what it calls the 'endgame.'"

26 Feb 2013

Oral polio vaccine cold chain disruption in Pakistan could compromise immunization effectiveness, health officials warn

Health officials in Pakistan have formally complained to the WHO concerning the quality of oral polio vaccine (OPV) doses distributed by the U.N. body," SciDev.Net reports, noting 58 children became infected with polio in 2012 despite having received the vaccine.

22 Feb 2013

Polio News and Research

Further Reading

Nigerian polio vaccinators face challenges but aim for eradication by 2018

Examining GPEI Strategic Plan to end polio

Taliban alleged to have stopped annual polio vaccination program in rural Afghanistan

Japan provides $2.6M to UNICEF to aid Pakistan's polio eradication program

UT Southwestern researcher to receive March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology

Global Vaccine Summit organizers hope to obtain increased commitments to end polio

Salk epigenetic findings may aid in crop production and study of human diseases

Global Vaccine Summit to be held in Abu Dhabi from Apr. 24-25

Five scientists aim to make strides in predicting and preventing preterm birth

Editorial, opinion piece address efforts to eradicate polio

UAE Exchange Shamshabad branch actively participated in Pulse Polio immunization program

Community-led engagement, greater access needed to end polio

Sustained funding necessary for success of global polio eradication plan

India needs political leadership, resources to ensure children's right to health

WHO officials, Islamic leaders to meet in Egypt to discuss attacks on polio workers

New York City Mayor Bloomberg pledges $100M to global polio eradication initiative

CSIS report examines Global Health Policy in Second Obama Term

Police escort of polio workers killed in northern Pakistan

Polio eradication strategy must be adjusted for local contexts

Oral polio vaccine cold chain disruption in Pakistan could compromise immunization effectiveness, health officials warn

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