This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-27284389

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
World facing polio health emergency World facing polio health emergency
(35 minutes later)
The World Health Organization has declared the spread of polio is an international public health emergency.The World Health Organization has declared the spread of polio is an international public health emergency.
The WHO is recommending that citizens of countries where the virus is prevalent, including Pakistan and Syria, be vaccinated before travelling. Outbreaks in Asia, Africa and Middle East are an "extraordinary event" needing a co-ordinated "international response", the agency said.
They should also carry a certificate to prove inoculation, the WHO says. It recommends citizens of affected countries travelling abroad carry a vaccination certificate.
"The conditions for a public health emergency of international concern have been met," the WHO's Bruce Aylward said. The conditions for a public health emergency of "international concern" were met, said the WHO's Bruce Aylward.
Mr Aylward, WHO Assistant Director General, was speaking after an emergency meeting in Geneva on the spread of polio which included representatives of the affected countries.
"The international spread of polio to date in 2014 constitutes an 'extraordinary event' and a public health risk to other states for which a co-ordinated international response is essential," the WHO's Emergency Committee said in statement.
"If unchecked, this situation could result in failure to eradicate globally one of the world's most serious vaccine preventable diseases."
"Pakistan, Cameroon, and the Syrian Arab Republic pose the greatest risk of further wild poliovirus exportations in 2014," the agency says.
And the WHO lists Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Somalia and Nigeria as "posing an ongoing risk for new wild poliovirus exportations in 2014."