The Polio virus has been detected in water samples taken from drains in the Northern Region’s Sagnerigu town and Tamale metropolis.
The virus, which causes paralysis, was detected by the Northern Regional Health Directorate during routine surveillance.
The virus was found in drains in Kobilmagu, Tamale Metropolis, and Nyanshegu, Sagnerigu Municipality, according to samples evaluated by the Noguchi Memorial Center for Medical Research.
Children in the area are at danger of catching the virus, according to Dr Hilarious Abiwu, the Deputy Northern Regional Director in charge of Public Health.
He did say that in the locations where the virus was discovered, an investigation will be performed to guarantee that all children under the age of five were vaccinated against the polio virus.
“We are going to be visiting the communities, look at most of the children within that environment, take samples from them and take them to the lab, to see whether children within that environment have had contact with the virus. We will also take a look at children under five, particularly children two years and younger, to see whether they have been fully vaccinated.”
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He added that “The level of protection the children have will depend on their vaccination status, so that if we have children within those communities who have not been fully vaccinated, then we can intervene by organizing mass immunization campaigns to make sure that, most of the children in these environments get updated in terms of their vaccination so that we can protect them.”
It is, nevertheless, encouraging to learn that no child has thus far acquired the virus, according to authorities.
“So the good thing is that, currently, it’s not like any child or any person has been affected with the poliovirus. We have identified its presence in the environment, and we want to take immediate steps, investigate and protect the children from getting exposed to it,” Dr Abiwu said.
SOURCE: GRAPHIC ONLINE
