The Threat of Paralysis Is Real: Why Moldova Warns of Polio Import Risk on the International Day for the Fight Against the Disease

Although no cases of polio have been registered in Moldova for over 30 years, experts are sounding the alarm: declining vaccination rates and the free movement of people create a high risk of the virus being imported.

For children and people with compromised health, this poses a direct threat of severe disability.

This was stated by Nicolae Furtună, Head of the Epidemiological Surveillance Department at the National Public Health Agency (NPHA), during a broadcast on the Moldova 1 TV channel.

According to him, two entire generations of the country's residents and many practicing doctors have never encountered this disease.

"And this is the good side of the situation, but it is precisely this that creates a false sense of security," the specialist noted.

What is the main danger?

Polio is a viral infection that affects the nervous system. In severe cases, it leads to irreversible paralysis (most often of the lower limbs) and even death.

The specifics of the disease make it particularly insidious: there is no specific treatment. Symptoms can only be alleviated, but restoring lost motor functions after paralysis is extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible. In about 90% of cases, the infection is asymptomatic or mild. A person feels healthy, does not isolate themselves, and actively spreads the virus to those around them. As soon as the virus enters an environment with unvaccinated and susceptible individuals (including children and people with chronic conditions), the risk of an outbreak and severe consequences increases many times over.

The NPHA representative emphasizes that vaccination remains the only effective tool for controlling polio. Over the past 30-plus years, no serious adverse reactions have been recorded from its use.