A world health organization (WHO) has been meeting regularly to review a public health emergency that was declared 4 years ago. Polio has began again in Afghanistan.

The committee for the 19th time since 2014 and reviewed the risk of international spread still has international concern and consittues a public health emergency.

At a media on Nov. 30th, helen Rees, MBBS, who chairs the committee and is a professor in South Africa, said that the world is “a whisker away from eradication.” She also states that progress is fragile. If it isnt eradicated in a year, the disease could win.

The disease is transmitted from person to person through sex or contaminated food. It mainly effects young children and has symptoms of fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. It can cause permanent damage and paralysis. There isnt a cure for polio, but it can be prevented by a vaccine.

Vaccine derived polio occurs when the weakened bassinet virus in the oral polio vaccine is excreted and then spreads in the community. WHO said that the solution is immiunizing every child with the vaccine several times. This can protect a child for life.