Nov 12, 2013

Polio virus strain found in Syria confirmed as originating from Pakistan, WHO says.

Syria's polio outbreak has been genetically linked to the strain circulating in Pakistan and is also related to the wild poliovirus appearing in Egypt, Israel and Palestinian territories in the past year, the World Health Organization announced on Monday .

The agency also reported an increase in the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases in Syria, which jumped from 10 to 13 cases. Wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), a highly infectious strain that causes paralysis, has not been detected in Syria since 1999. 

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