Myanmar is cooperating with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in combating fresh polio virus found recently in the country's western Rakhine state, an official newspaper reported Wednesday.

The polio virus, detected in Maungtaw area of the state, was spread from some neighboring countries which still have the virus, the New Light of Myanmar quoted a test result of the WHO lab as saying.

Myanmar is taking preventive measures against the virus by giving oral polio vaccine (OPV) to people especially children under five in the state, the report said.

Long-term cooperation would also be made between Myanmar and Bangladesh, one of the neighboring countries bordering Myanmar's Maungtaw.

With regard to the matter, a UN delegation, led by Dr. Julian Bilous, Senior Adviser of the Polio Eradication and EPI Immunization Vaccine and Biological of WHO and Dr. Tadashi Yasuda, Acting Chief of UNICEF are currently in Myanmar to discuss with the officials of the Ministry of Health over the prevention measures.

In May last year, a highly infectious polio, caused by a virus like wild-type polio virus, was suspected in northern Myanmar's Pyin Oo Lwin township creating a threat for a likely recurrence of the disease in the polio-free Southeast Asian nation already recognized by a regional committee four years ago.

The country selected the township as a central venue for launching its biannual national immunization activities in last September and October giving OPV to children under five in 80 townships surrounding Pyin Oo Lwin with the cooperation of the two UN organizations as well as the Japanese embassy and non- governmental organizations.

More than two million children in the 80 townships scattered in Mandalay, Magway, Sagaing, Shan and Kachin divisions and states were covered.

The Myanmar health authorities have stressed the importance to continue working towards a polio-free country despite enjoying the status since 2003.

The country has so far vaccinated at least 95 percent of the children under five, the authorities claimed.

The last case of wild polio was reported in Myanmar in 2000.

Source: Xinhua