Cuba Starts Anti-Polio Second Vaccination Stage

Havana, Apr 21. -Cuba will kick off on April 23 the second stage of the 49th National Vaccination Campaign against poliomyelitis, which should immunize 500,000 children in two cycles, Granma newspaper reported on Wednesday. During this stage, some 362,525 under three-year-old toddlers will receive a second oral dose (two drops), while 143,080 nine-year-old children will have the anti-polio vaccine reactivated.

According to experts, the vaccine, emerged in 1962, should not be administrated to minors with high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, immunodeficiency and those allergic to anti-polio vaccine.

More than 78 million doses of the vaccine have been administrated to children in almost 50 years, thus guaranteeing protection to the population younger than 62 years old.

The poliomyelitis is a contagious disease that invades the nervous system. It inflames the motor neurons of the bone marrow and brain causing permanent paralysis and muscular atrophy.

Cuba has also eliminated another disease that can be avoided like diphtheria in 1979, measles in 1963, German measles and whooping cough in 1994.

Also eradicated were neonatal tetanus in 1972, congenital measles syndrome and meningoencefalitis posparotiditis in 1989.(Prensa Latina)