Polio Update

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Polio this week as of  14 March 2023

 
 
The two endemic countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, so far this year continue to show no new cases. A new version of the oral vaccine drops is also now being widely used which is rapidly bringing down the number of polio cases being acquired by untreated children from recently treated children. Referred to as nOPV2, follow the related link to learn more.
 

Headlines:

·       The GPEI celebrated International Women’s Day last week, highlighting the important and integral roles women play at all levels of the global polio eradication effort.  More.

·       At a high-level event at the House of Commons in London, UK, Andrew Mitchell MP, Minister of State (Development & Africa) announced he will be taking on the role of gender champion for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and pledging the Governmental continued support for the campaign.  Rotary International President Jennifer Jones warned against polio ‘fatigue, insisting that the world has never been closer to winning the fight against the disease, calling on all stakeholders to deliver on its promise to deliver a polio-free world.

·       Eastern Mediterranean health leaders call for redoubled efforts for a defining year for polio.  Ministers and high-level delegates from across the Region participated in the seventh meeting of the Regional Subcommittee for Polio Eradication and Outbreaks. More.

·       The Global Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication (GCC) met recently in Amman, Jordan, to review progress towards interrupting wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) transmission in polio-endemic Pakistan and Afghanistan, implementation of the Global Surveillance Action Plan, and to hear from the six regional certification commissions on current regional priorities and issues. More.

·       The GPEI has received confirmation of the detection of cVDPV2 in Burundi and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), originating from novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) (see country sections below). Read the GPEIs statement on the detections.

Summary of new polioviruses this week:

·       Pakistan: one wild poliovirus type 1-positive environmental sample

·       Benin: one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case

·       Burundi: one cVDPV2 case and five cVDPV2-positive environmental samples

·       Chad: two cVDPV2 cases

·       Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo):  six cVDPV2 cases

·       Niger: one cVDPV2 case