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This Week

Polio this week as of  22 March 2023

Headlines:

  • Wishing a blessed holy month of Ramadan to our friends and colleagues around the world. Ramadan Kareem!
  • Sudan’s response to the 2023 polio outbreak showcases coordination.  More.
  • The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization (SAGE) is convening this week in Geneva, Switzerland, to deliberate on a broad range of immunization issues, including on polio eradication.  In February, the SAGE’s Working Group on Polio Eradication had discussed additional immunization strategies in areas of persistent poliovirus transmission, and the role of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2).

Summary of new polioviruses this week:

  • Afghanistan:  four wild poliovirus type 1-positive environmental samples
  • Pakistan:  one wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case
  • Algeria:  one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2)-positive environmental sample
  • Benin:  two cVDVP2-positive environmental samples
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo):  two circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) and three cVDPV2-positive cases
  • Indonesia:  one cVDPV2-positive case
  • Madagascar:  seven cVDPV1-positive environmental samples
  • Niger:  one cVDPV2-positive environmental sample
  • Nigeria:  one cVDPV2-positive environmental sample

Weekly country updates as of 22 March 2023

  • Four WPV1-positive environmental samples were reported this week, from Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, collected in February and early March 2023.
  • In total, in 2023, 13 WPV1-positive environmental samples have been reported.

 

  • One WPV1 case was reported this week, from Bannu, part of the seven polio-endemic districts located in the southern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with onset of paralysis on 20 February 2023.
  • It is the first WPV1 case in the country in 2023, and the first reported since September 2022.  More.
  • Intensified efforts continue to be implemented in the country, and in particular in the southern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to urgently eradicate the remaining endemic WPV1 transmission.  Since January 2021, all cases have been reported from seven polio-endemic districts in the southern area of Khyber Pahktunkhwa (out of a total of 171 districts nationwide).
  • A risk analysis is currently being implemented, including to help trace the origins of the infection and help identify missed areas or populations, and to take corrective action as needed.
  • As an immediate response to the polio case, a house-to-house vaccination campaign has begun in Batkhela and adjoining areas.  Six union-councils were part of the two-day activity from 21-22 March, where children under five years of age were vaccinated against polio.
  • One cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week, from Tamanghasset province, collected on 6 February 2023.
  • In total, in 2023, five cVDPV2-positive environmental samples have been reported in the country.
  • Two cVDPV2-positive environmental samples were reported this week, from Donga and Oueme provinces, collected in January and February 2023.
  • In 2023, one cVDPV2-positive case has been reported, with onset of paralysis on 2 January 2023, from Littoral province.
  • No cVDPV2 was reported this week. There are four positive samples reported in 2022 and one in 2023.
  • No case of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) was reported this week. There were two cases reported in 2021.  
  • No cVDPV2 was reported this week.
  • Last week, one cVDPV2 case had been reported from Bujumbura Rural province, with onset of paralysis on 24 November 2022, along with five cVDPV2-positive environmental samples, from Bujumbura Mairie province, collected in November and December 2022.  Read more.
  • No case of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) was reported this week. There are three cases detected in 2022.
  • No cVDPV2 was reported in the past week. Previously, cVDPV2 was isolated from two environmental samples from a large wastewater treatment plant and a target site in the city of Montreal, Quebec, collected on 27 and 30 August 2022, after the country conducted retrospective analysis of wastewater samples. Genetic sequencing confirmed it is linked to the cVDPV2 currently affecting New York, USA.
  • No case of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) was reported this week. There are five cases detected in 2022.
  • No cVDPV2 was reported this week.
  • In 2023, two cVDPV2 cases have been reported, from Lac and Logone Occidental provinces, with onsets of paralysis in early January.
  • No case of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) was reported this week. There is one case detected in 2022.
  • No case of cVDPV2 was reported this week. There were three cVDPV2-positive environmental samples reported in 2022.
  • No cVDPV2 was reported this week.  There were 12 cVDPV2-positive environmental samples reported in 2022.
  • Two cVDPV1 cases were reported in Haut Lomami and Tanganyika with onsets of paralysis in October and November. This brings the total number of cVDPV2 cases in 2022 to 117.
  • Three cVDPV2 cases were reported in Mongala and Tanganyika with onsets of paralysis in October and November. There are 321 cVDPV2 cases in 2022.
  • No cVDPV2 was reported this week.  In 2022, there were six cVDPV2-positive samples reported.
  • No cVDPV2 was reported this week. There was one case reported in 2022.
  • No cVDPV2 was reported this week. There was one case reported in 2022.
  • No cVDPV2 was reported this week. There were three cases reported in 2022.
  • Once cVDPV2 case was reported this week, from Java province, with onset of paralysis on 20 February 2023.  It is the third case reported from the country in 2023 (together with one case in 2022), and the first from Java province (the previously-reported cases were from Aceh).
  • A risk assessment, including response, is currently being planned.
  • No cVDPV cases were reported in the past week.  In 2023, one cVDPV2 case was reported, with onset of paralysis on 13 February 2023, linked to cVDPV2-positive environmental samples previously detected in the country (55 samples in total were reported in 2022, the most recent sample had been collected on 24 October 2022).
  • In 2022, one cVDPV3 case had been reported, with onset of paralysis on 12 February 2022, linked to cVDPV3-positive environmental samples previously detected in the country (25 samples in total were reported in 2022, the most recent sample had been collected on 15 March 2022).
  • Seven cVDPV1-positive environmental samples were reported this week, from Analamanga province, collected in January 2023.
  • In 2023, five cVDPV1 cases have been reported.  In 2022, there were 14 cVDPV1 cases reported.
  • No WPV1 case was reported this week. One case from 2021 has been reported in 2022.
  • No cVDPV1 was reported this week. There were four cases reported in the country in 2022.
  • No cVDPV2 was reported this week. There were two cases reported in 2022.
  • No WPV1 case was reported this week. There were eight cases reported in 2022.
  • No case of cVDPV1 was reported this week. There were 21 cases reported in 2022.
  • No case of cVDPV2 was reported this week. There were four cases reported in 2022.
  • One cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week, collected on 23 January 2023 from Niamey.
  • In 2022, there were 15 cVDPV2 cases reported.
  • One cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week, collected on 7 February 2023 from Sokoto.
  • In 2023, one cVDPV2 has been reported. In 2022, 48 cVDPV2 cases were reported.
  • No cVDPV2 was reported this week.  In 2022, one cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported.
  • No cVDPV2 was reported this week. There is one case in 2023 and five cases reported in 2022 .
  • No cVDPV2 is reported this week. There is one case reported in 2022.
  • No cVDPV2 is reported this week. There were two cases reported in 2022.
  • No case of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) was reported this week. There were two cases reported in 2021.
  • Disease surveillance continues to be strengthened, to the degree possible given the evolving situation, including by building capacity, conduct trainings, implement environmental surveillance and support routine immunization.
  • No circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) positive environmental samples were reported this week. Six positive samples were reported following the isolation of vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) from environmental samples in London, UK.
  • No cases of paralysis associated with this strain have been detected – virus has been isolated only from environmental (sewage) samples.

 

  • No case of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) was reported this week. One cVDPV2 case was reported in New York in 2022.
  • No circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) positive environmental sample was reported this week. There were 14 positive samples reported in 2022.
  • No circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) was reported in the past week. There are 162 cases detected in 2022.
  • No circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) positive environmental samples were reported this week. There are 3 positives samples reported in 2022.

For more country information, please visit the respective pages within the Outbreak and Endemic country sections of the GPEI website.