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Digital illustration of Polio virus. shutterstock

Experts warn that the polio outbreak in Syria may threaten Europe

Two experts have warned that areas such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine and Austria, where vaccination coverage is low, could be most at risk.

TWO INFECTIOUS DISEASE experts have warned that a new outbreak of polio in Syria recently might endanger neighbouring regions, including Europe.

The outbreak of the disease was confirmed by the World Health Organisation in October.

Writing to the journal, The Lancet, the two experts said  Professor Martin Eichner, of the University of Tübingen, and Stefan Brockmann, of Reutlingen Regional Public Health Office, in Germany, said that most European countries today use inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) rather than oral polio vaccination (OPV), which has been discontinued in most areas due to rare cases of it causing acute flacid paralysis (AFP), the main symptom of polio.

Vaccine

They said that while the IPV vaccine is highly effective in preventing polio disease,it only provides
partial protection from infection.

In Europe, where the circulating polio viruses have been eliminated for decades, transmission can only be prevented by IPV if vaccination coverage is continually very high and if the population has high hygienic standards and low crowding, they explained.

As large numbers of refugees are fleeing Syria and seeking refuge in neighbouring countries and Europe, they said there is a risk that the virus could be reintroduced into areas which have been polio-free for decades.

European countries at risk

The two experts warned that areas such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine and Austria, where vaccination coverage is low, could be most at risk. “Immunity may be insufficient to prevent sustained transmission if the polio virus is reintroduced into the community,” they stated.

Tübingen and Brockmann speculate that the virus might circulate for nearly a year before a single case of AFP arises and an outbreak can be detected, even though by this time hundreds of individuals might carry the infection.

According to the authors:

Vaccinating only Syrian refugees—as has been recommended by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control—must be judged as insufficient; more comprehensive measures
should be taken into consideration.

Discontinued

They said that the oral polio vaccination provides high protection against acquisition and spreading of the infection, but this vaccine was discontinued in Europe because of rare cases of vaccination-related acute flaccid paralysis.

They warned that only some of the European Union member states still allow its use and none has a stockpile of oral polio vaccines.

They said that routine screening of sewage for poliovirus has not been done in most European countries, but said there should be intensified surveillance measure considered for settlements with large numbers of Syrian refugees.

Read: UN warns of Syria polio outbreak after cluster of cases reported>

Read: Over nine million people in Syria need outside help to survive>

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25 Comments
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    Mute Michael McLoughlin
    Favourite Michael McLoughlin
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    Jul 29th 2017, 9:52 AM

    Still use my nano for runs and the gym , it’s great.

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    Mute Seeking Truth
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    Jul 29th 2017, 9:47 AM

    We had the classic iPod, then our daughter got the nano5 and our son the nano7. His has broken since, but hers still works.
    Would be nice to have an mp3 player not reliant on the internet to give kids to let them have music in their bedroom….tjat did not have a camera, text messaging, etc. In other words, can we have separate devices for each activity? Oh wait….we used to have it that way…..

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Jul 29th 2017, 12:57 PM

    @Seeking Truth: I bought my daughter a low tech stereo system and CDs! She loves that the radio never buffers!!!

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    Mute Seeking Truth
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    Jul 29th 2017, 5:04 PM

    @Deborah Behan: she has a CD player and can listen to the radio on her iPod nano. But Spotify makes things tricky!! Looking at a Sonos wireless speaker that runs from an app anywhere in the house so the device can stay downstairs but they are fairly spendy!!!

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    Mute Will Keane
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    Jul 29th 2017, 9:46 AM

    Still have me 2gb nano and 80gb iPod 2nd edition and they are still going strong!

    45
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    Mute wiklagirl
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    Jul 29th 2017, 10:30 AM

    I still use my 120gb iPod. Long may it last !

    34
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    Mute WilhelminaMCallaghan
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    Jul 29th 2017, 9:32 AM

    I wish I had any iPod

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    Mute Mr. Dragmire
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    Jul 29th 2017, 11:12 AM

    I won an iPod nano 4th gen in college in 2004. I wasn’t into music really turn so I gave it to my sister who was. A few years later she gave it back when she got a phone that could store music. I used it for podcasts and music then. In 2010 I got an iPod touch 4th gen and used that instead. A couple years ago I gave the iPod nano back to my sister and she uses it for music in her car. It’s a great little device.

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    Mute Catherine Sims
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    Jul 29th 2017, 1:07 PM

    What’s a Walkman ??? :) I’m still hauling a record player around with a long extension lead :)

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    Mute Melina Roberts
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    Jul 29th 2017, 12:09 PM

    I have the first Generation IPod, took great care of it and think I even have the original box for it.I’m hoping it will be worth something in the future

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    Mute Revolting Peasant
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    Jul 29th 2017, 10:57 PM

    @Melina Roberts: It probably will be. Apple recalled them a few years back due to battery issues and replaced them with a newer version (the small square thing whose button always breaks). If the screen wasn’t broken we wouldn’t of sent ours away. It was the original classic design.

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    Mute ivan lynch
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    Jul 29th 2017, 10:20 AM

    Pity…
    very tough to get a device these days that children want and can satisfy parents at the same time.

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    Mute Alan Scott
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    Jul 29th 2017, 1:42 PM

    Over rated over priced just like VW Audi cars.

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    Mute Rui Firmino
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    Jul 30th 2017, 12:02 PM

    @Alan Scott: I got a nano 9 years ago and still works fine. Worth every cent!

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    Mute Ger
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    Jul 29th 2017, 3:13 PM

    I had a 5th gen Nano about 10 years ago. It was a perfect piece of kit and had I not lost it it would probably still be my preferred way to listen to music.

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    Mute Eamonn Sheen
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    Jul 29th 2017, 2:21 PM

    I had a 160gb iPod classic and have an iPod touch but never use it now. I use Spotify on my phone as my main source of music these days.

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    Mute Lily
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    Jul 29th 2017, 6:00 PM

    I waited for the first generation iPod touch. I still have it (though for a time I thought I lost it and got a 4th or 5th generation iPod touch and found the 1st generation one a few days later.)

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    Mute Leitrim303
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    Jul 29th 2017, 7:28 PM

    never liked apple devices

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    Mute Ciaran O Reilly
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    Jul 30th 2017, 7:59 PM

    Classic

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    Mute Charles McCarthy
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    Jul 29th 2017, 8:08 PM

    I have a one of those iPod classics U2 edition jobbys somewhere in the house, never even been used as I can’t find it. I’m sure that it is a great little device when it turns up! : O

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    Mute Gary Mason
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    Jul 29th 2017, 7:55 PM

    Never owned an Apple product and never will.

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    Mute George Roche
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    Jul 30th 2017, 8:11 AM

    My neck’s killing me carting this boombox about.

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