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Polio in Syria Could Threaten Europe

Scientists offer stark warning about the potential spread of the disease
Polio in Syria Could Threaten Europe

German scientists warned today that "vaccination against polio of Syrian refugees only may not be enough to prevent the return of the viral disease to Europe after decades of its disappearance."

 

The scientists reported that the risk of the return of its occurrence in Syria is partly due to the type of vaccine used in general in areas where the disease has not occured for many years.

 

The scientists believe that if this danger is not contained, the emergence of a disease would be a threat to millions of children across the Middle East.

 

The scientists added that polio spreads easily from person to person, and can spread rapidly among children, especially in unsanitary conditions experienced by displaced people in Syria, or in crowded refugee camps in neighboring countries.

 

The disease attacks the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours, and the World Health Organization warns repeatedly, that the presence of one child infected with polio makes children everywhere at risk.

 

Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer

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