[UPDATED] SWRHA: No polio cases in Moruga

Former health minister Dr Fuad Khan is doubtful there may be cases of poliomyelitis, commonly called polio, in Trinidad and Tobago.

Considering this country’s immunisation programme, which includes the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus) and oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV), Khan believes it is highly unlikely.

He also recalled that in 1972 when the prime minister of the day, Dr Eric Williams, postponed Carnival from February to May because of the threat of polio, there was a nationwide vaccination drive.

In his 1973 Road March, Rain­o­rama, singer Aldwyn “Lord Kitchener” Roberts sang about Carnival's postponement owing to the polio scare.

“The immunisation programme here is good, and parents take their children to get immunised.

"In the 70s they (health officials) went to the schools and gave the children. The country was vaccinated,” Khan said by phone on Thursday.

“If anything, people who are older than 50 may have polio. The only people who would have it are those who had not been vaccinated and who have come into contact with somebody with polio. That is few and far between.”

The vaccine gave lifelong immunity, he said.

A social media post on Wednesday claimed there were reports from Moruga of polio cases.

However, a release from the South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) on Wednesday denied it.

Khan reiterated: “I am doubtful we have it here, unless someone came across from the South American mainland with it. I know that in some of those countries, it has not been fully eradicated.”

On Wednesday's post about polio, the SWRHA commented that it was inaccurate and misleading.

“The authority assures members of the public that no case of polio has been recorded in the county or anywhere throughout the southwestern region,” the release said.

“The public is also requested to refrain from sharing unverified or unfounded information, which has the potential to create harm or panic.”

The authority did not mention the author of the post. But a now-removed post from one of the Facebook accounts of Dr Lovell Francis, former Moruga/Tableland MP, said he got a report of a case in the Moruga area.

Calls to Francis went unanswered.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website describes polio as a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus can infect the spinal cord, causing paralysis. The CDC says the virus lives in an infected person’s throat and intestines.

Two types of vaccine are used to treat and prevent polio – the inactivated poliovirus vaccine or the OPV.

The SWRHA invited its patients and clients to call its customer service centre at 87-SWRHA (877-9742) on any healthcare matters.

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

A social media post about the presence in Moruga of cases of poliomyelitis, commonly called polio, is inaccurate.

So said a release from the South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) on Wednesday afternoon.

THe SWRHA denied what it referred to as the inaccurate and misleading post.

“The authority assures members of the public that no case of polio has been recorded in the county or anywhere throughout the southwestern region,” the release said.

“The public is also requested to refrain from sharing unverified or unfounded information, which has the potential to create harm or panic.”

The authority did not mention the author of the post. But a now-removed post from one of the Facebook accounts of Dr Lovell Francis, former Moruga/Tableland MP, said he got a report of a case in the Moruga area.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website describes polio as a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus can infect the spinal cord, causing paralysis.

The CDC says the virus lives in an infected person’s throat and intestines.

There are two types of vaccine used to treat and prevent polio – the inactivated poliovirus vaccine or the oral poliovirus vaccine.

The SWRHA invited its patients and clients to call its customer service centre at 87-SWRHA (877-9742)on any healthcare matters.