WHO certifies Gabon as polio-free

The World Health Organization has declared Gabon a "polio-free country", given the lack of new reported or suspected cases in the central African country.  Polio is a highly-infectious viral disease which mainly affects young children and can result in permanent paralysis. There is no cure and it can only be prevented through immunisation. Now the disease is endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the WHO recorded four cases this year -- two in each country.