The two cases were reported on Monday and Tuesday. The hospital superintendent Dr. Loeto Mazhani says the two children were in paralysis when they were brought in.
Botswana’s 13-year polio free-status was broken early this year when a child in Ngami was found infected with the poliovirus.
The government had launched a two-phase anti-polio drive to deal with the situation before the suspected cases from Tutume.
“We are investigating the two cases with a view to establishing if indeed these are polio cases or something else. We have been doing this even before the emergency polio campaign and this is not new,” Mazhani said.
He indicated that every case of paralysis is investigated thoroughly to establish if it is polio-related.
“Once a case is reported, we work very hard with a view to excluding polio. This has been common even in the past,” he explained and added that it is possible that the two cases are not polio.
He indicated that there are many illnesses which could present themselves through a paralysis. He revealed that previously, they investigated suspected cases of polio which turned out to be negative. He stressed that there is nothing new about the two cases.
He said they are going to take samples of stools from the suspected cases for further investigation in South Africa, adding that only after investigations are complete would health authorities determine the next cause of action.
A health expert in the Francistown City Council, Dr. Harry Thuku, informed Mmegi that Botswana does not have laboratories to make the necessary polio investigations. Under the circumstances, it will be about a month before the results are known.
He also warned that polio is contagious. Medical journals show that the poliovirus attacks the nervous system and can sometimes cause permanent muscle paralysis. If contracted in chest muscles, it can be fatal. The poliovirus is passed through human faeces, and although immunisation means it is no longer a problem, some countries are still fighting to eradicate it. The poliovirus is reported to be endemic in six countries: Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Niger, Afghanistan and Egypt.
