April 30, 2010GENEVA (Canadian Press) -- The World Health Organization says 32 cases of polio have been confirmed in Tajikistan as health workers are setting up a nationwide vaccination campaign.
WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib says the polio virus causing the outbreak is most closely related to the virus circulating in northern India. The agency sent a team to the Central Asian country last week to investigate the outbreak.
Chaib says vaccines have arrived in Tajikistan.
WHO has grouped Tajikistan into its European region and says this is the first outbreak of the paralytic disease in Europe since the agency certified the region as polio free in 2002.
Chaib said Friday neighbouring countries of Tajikistan have strengthened their polio surveillance.
Copyright The Canadian Press, 2010
