Was a case of polio recorded in Venezuela?: this is what is known

A bulletin published this week by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) revealed that somewhere in Venezuela a case of flaccid paralysis was recorded and they confirmed that the cause is that the person has polioa viral disease that affects the spinal cord and that since decades ago it was not registered in the country.

Information about the polio case in Venezuela, which was announced on social networks by pediatrician Alejandro Crespo, president of the Aragua branch of the Venezuelan Society of Childcare and Pediatrics, is scarce because the State has not published an Epidemiological Bulletin since 2016.

What is known about the polio case in Venezuela?

The expert explained that according to the little information provided by PAHO, It is not a wild virus, which is a positive thing, and it would be a derivative of the Sabin P3 vaccine.

He stressed that this does not mean that there is something wrong with the polio vaccine, but rather with the low coverage in Venezuela.

«Venezuela has the worst coverage of the vaccine that prevents polio on the continent and is the third country with the most children who have not received any dose in America. Only surpassed by much more populated countries, such as Brazil and Mexico. That is why a dose of the oral vaccine (which is good and necessary in Venezuela) can generate this tremendous nonsense. Because The virus circulates for more than a year among poorly vaccinated populations and ends up mutating into a version capable of making people sick.«Crespo indicated.

Given this situation, the pediatrician pointed out that The Ministry of Health should have declared a health emergencyas well as explain the situation in detail. In addition, it should provide a plan, with mass vaccination days and an information campaign.

«Meanwhile, we must explain to people that the vaccine is safe and we must give it to all children who have pending doses and reinforce even those who have been vaccinated. So that no one is alarmed, but that together we help get out of that pit of the worst vaccinated on the continent,” he noted.

He urged parents and guardians to talk to pediatricians to verify that children have received the full doses of the polio vaccine.

There is a case of Polio in Venezuela and understanding the implications is complicated. But since the Venezuelan State does not report anything, someone has to tell this story, so I am going to try to explain it simply so that no one gets alarmed and rather they go out and solve it. pic.twitter.com/eg45Pcl3qa

— Alejandro Crespo Freytes – Pediatrician (@AleCrespoF) October 17, 2024

What is polio?

Poliovirus causes poliomyelitis, which is highly contagious and is transmitted orally through the consumption of food or substances contaminated with feces containing the virus, or by direct contamination from person to person.

This disease causes nerve damage and paralysis, difficulty breathing, and in some cases death.

In Venezuela, two polio vaccines are available: one orally, Sabin type VOP, and another parenterally, Salk type VIP (inactivated virus), which are administered at 2, 4 and 6 months, with a booster. at 18 months and another between 4 and 6 years of age.