What prevents complete eradication of polio in Africa? Global Voices in French

What prevents complete eradication of polio in Africa? Global Voices in French


A nurse vaccine a baby in Accra, Ghana, in 2020. This image is in the public domain

Decree by Keletso of the Thobega, translated by Emi Receded

In August 2020, Africa was declared free from wild poliovirus, a disease that paralyzed thousands of children each year on the continent. This is an important step in the fight against polio, which started within the framework of the global initiative for the polio of the World Health Organization in 1988. This initiative made it possible to reduce 99 % the number of new cases of polio worldwide.

However, a new mutation of this virus, derived from a vaccine, appeared in southern Africa, largely due to the low vaccination coverage within local populations.

During an online interview with Global Voices, some health experts working on the continent highlighted several obstacles to complete eradication of polio. They insisted that efforts to eradicate the disease must go beyond vaccination campaigns: it is necessary to consolidate supply chain systems, in order to guarantee that awareness efforts and polio vaccines Even reach the most distant and most rural communities everywhere in Africa.

Village Reach, a non -profit organization whose main mission is to improve the accessibility of health products and services in low -income and low -resources communities, shared the reasons and the way it has strengthened its systems supply chain.

Luciana Maxim, Director of the supply chain and the strengthening of laboratory systems at Village Reach, explained to Global Voices that at the end of 2021, the global initiative for the eradication of polio (IMEP ) had financed the realization of national assessments of the system of orientation and transport of laboratory samples for polio in several African countries. According to her, many regions of Africa (in particular rural areas) have mediocre transport infrastructure, which makes it difficult to access communities.

For example, in some regions, some roads have poule nests or are not tarmac, which makes access difficult for vehicles. In these territories, health professionals must find other ways to distribute vaccines, which can be time -consuming and costing dearly, for example using bikes or helicopters.

The same logistical problems arise with regard to the speed and quality of the transport of laboratory samples, including human and environmental samples suspected of polio. Health professionals thus encounter difficulties in respecting the WHO directives that infected samples must be transported to a national or international laboratory specializing in polio within three days of the collection of samples.

TSEDEYE GIRMA, UNICEF coordinator for the intervention in the event of a global polio epidemic, explained to Global Voices that the context, different modes of transport were used to transport polio vaccines to the centers most distant health. “We use refrigerated trucks, motorcycles, boats, beasts, but also on foot,” she said. She added that in some countries, such as Malawi and Mozambique, they even used drones to deliver vaccines.

TSEDEYE GIRMA explained how recent cases of polio of vaccination origin in southern Africa were quickly mastered:

When the wild poliovirus was again detected, in particular in Malawi and Mozambique at the beginning of 2022, everyone got into emergency mode to contain these epidemics. It was imperative to send the samples to laboratories as quickly as possible, to raise awareness of communities and health professionals, and to make sure that all children were vaccinated against polio after the COVVI19 pandemic. We participated in these efforts and the epidemics of wild poliovirus were quickly contained the same year, she said.

Luciana Maxim stressed that 13 of the 15 countries in which they have been working since then have experienced epidemics of polio of vaccine origin. A poliovirus derived from a vaccine strain (PVDV) is a rare strain of poliovirus which evolves from the weakened living virus used in the oral antipoliomyelitic vaccine (VPO). This living virus is designed to stimulate the immune system and strengthen polio protection. However, if it circulates long enough in insufficient or non -vaccinated populations or if it is replied in an individual with an immune deficit, it can mutate and regain the ability to cause the disease.

She added:

We quickly realized that, to contribute to the eradication of epidemics, we needed an integrated approach which guarantees that samples of all diseases that may be declared to laboratories in just a few days. We have seized all opportunities to integrate resources, staff and data for all diseases and healthy system functions.

TSEDEYE GIRMA said it was essential to establish a decentralized presence and links with communities.

She explained:

We adopt a population -centered approach by hiring local communities as active partners in the fight for the eradication of polio. We have recruited and trained thousands of members of local communities, including traditional leaders, religious leaders, polio survivors, women’s, young and other influential people in populations, so that They work to raise awareness and mobilization against polio.

In most African households, women are family support and the majority of mobilizers for polio within communities are women. This is essential in regions where cultural standards prevent male health professionals from entering the homes composed only of women.

This approach makes all the difference when it comes to getting the message across and ensuring that children are vaccinated, added Tsedeye Girma.

To improve the scope of vaccination campaigns, UNICEF and other stakeholders have endeavored to write messages in many local languages, but the language barrier persists in the polio vaccination campaigns. These messages are often broadcast using megaphones by city advertisers and with mobile public announcements of public announcements that move from one community to another.

Disinformation on vaccines also remains an important obstacle to reach children. According to TSEDEYE GIRMA, community mobilizers play a key role by responding to the concerns of parents and caregivers concerning vaccines during their visits.

“We also use social listening tools to follow and stop false information on vaccines, online and offline. The UNICEF digital community’s engagement program mobilizes more than 70,000 online volunteers worldwide to combat disinformation and provide exact and timely information on vaccines. Among the most common false information: the affirmations that vaccines are painful and cause diseases, weaken the immune system, are designed to harm young people, or are not acceptable from a cultural or religious point of view.

In a message sent on the occasion of World Day against Polio 2024, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said that 134 cases of type 2 polio had been detected in the year 2024 On September 5. The variant in circulation was identified in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.

While polio eradication efforts are continuing, Luciana Maxim and Tsedeye Girma hope that governments, private sector and non -governmental organizations (NGOs) will collaborate to combat disinformation on vaccines. They also underline the importance of granting priority to financing to strengthen supply chain systems, in order to guarantee fair access to vaccines and health services throughout the continent.

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