ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—A recent outbreak of polio in Syria is causing concerns for the World Health Organization (WHO) as they face obstacles in administering the much needed vaccinations to children in the war-torn country. The first cases of polio in Syria since the rise of ISIS in 2014 has caused two children in the ISIS held area of Deir al-Zor to become paralyzed within the last few months according to a briefing released on Friday by WHO. Between ISIS and the six-year civil war in Syria, many children have not had access to necessary vaccinations, including Polio. WHO’s Communications Officer, Oliver Rosenbauer stated that vaccinating even 50 percent of the estimated 90,000 children under the age of five in Deir al-Zor would probably not be enough to stop the outbreak. To have maximum effect and protect the population, immunization rates should be closer to 80 percent. "Are we concerned that we're in fact going to be seeding further future polio vaccine-derived outbreaks? ... Absolutely, that is a concern. And that is why this vaccine must be used judiciously and to try to ensure the highest level of coverage," Rosenbauer said. Polio is a highly infectious virus that affects mainly young children. The virus is transmitted person-to-person and mainly through a fecal-oral route or through contaminated water or food. Polio can paralyze a child within hours of exposure. Syria is one of the last remaining countries where polio causes a health risk. Until now, the virus remains endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
