Complacency over old health threats proves fatal
The threat posed by relatively new infectious diseases such as Sars and bird flu has been a constant worry for health authorities around the world in recent years. Now, the re-emergence of an old disease is a growing problem. Polio is spreading again, having been wiped out in most countries over the past two decades. This week, the first case in Indonesia for 10 years was detected.
It is a worrying development and one that serves as a reminder of the damage that can be done when health prevention standards drop - and the ease with which such diseases can spread across international boundaries.
Thankfully, Hong Kong is well protected. Children have been immunised in the city since 1963 and the last case occurred more than 20 years ago. The government says 99 per cent of the population has been vaccinated. But there is no room for complacency.
Polio is a frightening virus. It attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis, muscular atrophy and - in some cases - death. There is no cure.
A major international campaign to eradicate the disease has not succeeded - although considerable progress has been made. In 1988, polio was endemic in 125 countries. Now, this is the case in only six.
The incidence of polio cases reached a low point in 2003. But it is on the rise again. The trigger for this resurgence is bizarre. It could so easily have been avoided. It seems that certain provinces in Nigeria stopped immunising children because hardline Muslim clerics advised that the vaccine had been contaminated. They believed this was part of a western plot to render Muslim women infertile - and to spread HIV.
The suspension of the vaccination programme lasted 11 months. It came to an end when vaccines were provided by a Muslim country - Indonesia. During that time the virus began to spread. It has hit a number of African countries, spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and now crossed an ocean to reach Indonesia.
Overall, 16 countries have been reinfected. Two cases have been confirmed among young children in Indonesia and others are suspected. An emergency effort to immunise 5 million children in the affected area is now under way. Most children in the country have already had the vaccination.
It is believed the virus reached Indonesia through the return of migrant workers or Muslim pilgrims who had visited Saudi Arabia. This is the latest illustration of how globalisation, in the form of the easier movement of people around the world, poses new health risks. The speed with which Sars spread from Hong Kong to other countries in 2003 has already highlighted the challenge.
There is a need for nations to remain on guard against any outbreak of new infectious diseases. The re-emergence of polio in Indonesia shows that it is also important to ensure old ones do not return.
