By Alexandra Thompson Health Reporter For Mailonline
A case of polio has been reported in Venezuela for the first time in nearly 30 years, according to the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO).
- An unnamed child with no history of vaccinations has been diagnosed
- Prior to this, the last case of polio in Venezuela was reported back in 1989
- Around one in 25 polio sufferers develop life-threatening meningitis
- Up to one in 100 develop paralysis, which can affect the breathing muscles
- The World Health Organization declared Europe and the Americas polio free
An unnamed child, with no history of vaccinations, from the poverty-ridden Delta Amacuro state has been diagnosed with the condition.
According to Dr Jose Felix Oletta, a former Minister of Health in the South American nation, the last case of polio in Venezuela was reported in 1989.
Around one in 25 polio sufferers develop life-threatening meningitis, while up to one in 100 suffer paralysis, which can be deadly if it affects their breathing muscles.
Polio has not been caught in the UK since the mid-90s, with cases falling dramatically when routine vaccination was introduced in the mid-1950s.
The World Health Organization has declared Europe, the Americas, the western Pacific region and southeast Asia as polio-free zones.
Experts previously warned diseases linked to the Victorian era, such as syphilis, rickets, gout and scarlet fever, are on the rise in the UK due to a fall in living standards and growing financial inequality.
Bron: Daily Mail