News.com.au, by the Associated Press: The World Health Organization says Niger has been struck by a new outbreak of polio, following the suspension of immunization activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UN health agency reported that two children were infected by the highly infectious, water-borne disease and that one was paralyzed.
The outbreak was sparked by a mutated virus that originated in the vaccine and was not connected to a previous polio epidemic Niger stopped last year, WHO said, in a statement.
“The poliovirus will inevitably continue to circulate and may paralyze more children as no high-quality immunization campaigns can be conducted in a timely manner,” said Pascal Mkanda, WHO’s coordinator of polio eradication in Africa.
In rare cases, the live virus in oral polio vaccine can evolve into a form capable of igniting new outbreaks among non-immunized children; stopping the epidemic requires more targeted vaccination.
Earlier this month, WHO and partners announced they were forced to halt all polio vaccination activities until at least June 1, acknowledging the decision would inevitably result in more children being paralyzed.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been 33,500 cases and 1469 deaths as of Tuesday, but experts suspect the real numbers are far higher due to lack of testing and poor surveillance.
Eradicating polio requires more than 90 per cent of children being immunized, typically in mass campaigns involving millions of health workers that would break social distancing guidelines needed to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
Across Africa, 14 other countries are struggling to contain their polio epidemics, which have also been caused by a rare mutation of the virus in the oral vaccine. Health officials had initially aimed to wipe out polio by 2000, but that deadline has been pushed back and missed repeatedly.
Our Comment:
While many believe that international and global agencies, including the United Nations, hold the key to cooperation and finding common solutions, there is new evidence to suggest that “solidarity” and “coming together for the good of humanity” may not be what it seems.
One case in point is this breaking news story on the resurgence of polio in Niger. That we are seeing an epidemic within a pandemic in Africa does not recommend globalist solutions highly. While the continent has always been vulnerable due to poverty and lack of development, this seems to have gone one step further than before. For the first time in the history of the World Health Organization, the UN agency itself is also under pressure.
As the verses below help us see, any geopolitical, economic, fiscal, medical, social, or even religious entity which does not embrace Jesus Christ and His heavenly kingdom as its source and focus—and instead holds humanistic ideals—is clearly not of God. Globalism is not the answer for our world.
Prophetic Link:
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1 John 2:16.
“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” 1 John 4:3.