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06/22/2004:

"WHO warns of polio epidemic in west, central Africa"

Experts of the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a stark warning on Tuesday that west and central Africa is on the brink of the largest polio epidemic in recent years.

The warning made by epidemiologists of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative follows confirmation on Tuesday that a child was paralyzed on May 20 by polio in the Darfur region of Sudan, a country which has not seen the disease in more than three years.

In addition to the re-infection of Sudan, five times as many children in west and central Africa have been paralyzed by polio so far in 2004 compared with the same period in 2003.

"There is no question that the virus is spreading at an alarming pace," said communicable disease expert David Heymann, WHO's representative for polio eradication.
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