Somalia polio outbreak spreads; 105 recorded cases

[August 16, 2013]  NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- The U.N.'s humanitarian affairs office says a polio outbreak in Somalia is spreading.

The U.N. said Friday that Somalia has 105 confirmed cases of polio, with another 10 cases confirmed in neighboring Kenya.

Health officials are responding with vaccination campaigns that have reached 4 million people since the outbreak began in May, but those health officials cannot access about 600,000 children who live in areas of Somalia controlled by the al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab.

The U.N. says five children have suffered paralysis from the virus, a fact that indicates that there are probably thousands more children with the virus who do not have symptoms.

[Associated Press]

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