A polio outbreak that most likely originated in Pakistan has now hit children in Syria. The Minister of Social Affairs Kindah al-Shammat told the AP that jihadis from Pakistan were to blame in the rebel-controlled north. Though she did not offer any evidence or elaborate.
As of October 17th, 10 out of 22 children in Deir al-Zor have become paralyzed. The remaining 12 most likely have disease. And most of these children are under the age of two. They probably have never been vaccinated or only received one of the three doses to ensure protection.
Polio enters the nervous system causing irreversible paralysis within hours. This can spread rapidly among children under the age of five, especially in the unsanitary conditions among the displaced or crowded refugee camps in neighboring countries.
Before the conflict 91% of Syrian children were vaccinated against diseases, including polio. Since the civil war the rate has fallen to about 68%. This outbreak puts the Middle East at great risk. Not only has the same strand of polio has been found in Israel, West Bank, and Gaza as of April 2013. But about 4,000 Syrian refugees flee to Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey.
The UN is mobilizing to vaccinate the 2.5 million children in Syria to prevent any potential outbreak of this incurable viral disease. They are also disappointed as progress has not been what they have hoped to see and that they are seeing a deeper crisis, as stated by the top relief official at the United Nations
The World Health Organization is aiding to lead the new vaccination effort. The WHO is working with UNICEF and other aid groups to organize a plan to administer repeated oral doses of the polio vaccine starting with the children, not only in Syria but also throughout the region. The campaigns are likely to begin in early November and to last at least six to eight months.
Read more on the details of the polio outbreak from my sources below: