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Polio this week

Advance notification of VDPV1 in Syria

The Syrian Ministry of Health has confirmed detections of VDPV1 in samples from two children with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in Deir Ezzor Governorate, northeastern Syria. The Ministry of Health has already implemented immediate vaccination of more than 34,000 children under five in 12 villages in Deir Ezzor on 18 October and further response is being planned based on the ongoing risk assessment.  WHO is working closely with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF and all GPEI partners to support the response. Surveillance is being strengthened, neighbouring countries have been informed, and additional technical support is being mobilized.  These isolates will be officially reflected in next week’s global update.

Eradicating polio takes more than vaccines – it takes political courage

In a Tagesspiegel opinion piece, infectious disease expert and former German parliamentarian Prof. Andrew Ullmann calls for sustained political commitment and funding to finish the job.  Read the article (in German).

GPEI ‘3-2-1’ High-level Interview:  Alishba Khan Barech

In the latest in a series of high-level interviews, UNICEF Polio Champion, youth advocate and author Alishba Khan Barech offers her views on what it will take to ensure no child will ever again be paralysed by poliovirus.  Read the full interview.

Summary of new polioviruses this week

  • Pakistan :  one WPV1 case and three WPV1-positive environmental samples
  • Central African Republic (CAR):  one cVDPV2-positive environmental sample
  • DR Congo :  nine cVDPV2 cases
  • Niger :  one cVDPV3 case
  • Nigeria :  one cVDPV2 case and two cVDPV3 cases
  • South Sudan :  one cVDPV1 case
Country updates as of 04 October 2026

More information on the countries that have reported cases and/or environmental samples this week.

  • One WPV1 case was reported this week, from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with onset of paralysis on 16 October 2026 (most recent case). The total number of cases in 2026 is nine. The total number of cases in 2025 is 31.
  • Three WPV1-positive environmental samples were reported this week, from Balochistan and Sindh, collected in October 2026 (most recent positive environmental sample:  12 October 2026).

  • No cVDPV2 case was reported this week. There are five cases reported in 2026 (most recent case:  1 July 2026). There were two cases reported in 2025.
  • One cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week, collected from Region 7 on 10 August 2026 (most recent positive environmental sample:  9 September 2026).

  • Nine cVDPV2 cases were reported this week, from Haut Lomami, Haut Katanga, Lualaba and Tanganyika, with onsets of paralysis in May 2026, August 2026, September 2026 and October 2026. The number of cVDPV2 cases in 2026 is 102 (most recent case:  4 October 2026). The number of cVDPV2 cases in 2025 is seven.
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample:  31 August 2026).
  • No cVDPV1 cases were reported this week. The number of cVDPV1 cases from 2025 is one (onset of paralysis: 25 June 2025).

  • One cVDPV3 case was reported this week, from Diffa, with onset of paralysis on 8 October 2026 (most recent case).  There are three cases reported in 2026. 

  • One cVDPV2 case was reported this week, from Katsina, with onset of paralysis on 12 October 2026 (most recent case). The total number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2026 is 37. The total number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2025 is 66. 
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample:  22 July 2026).
  • Two cVDPV3 cases were reported this week, from Borno and Zamfara, with onsets of paralysis on 7 October 2026 and 8 October 2026 (most recent case). The total number of cVDPV3 cases in 2026 is 17. The total number of cVDPV3 cases in 2025 is eight.
  • No cVDPV3-positive environmental samples were reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample:  25 September 2026).

  • One cVDPV1 case was reported this week, from Jonglei, with onset of paralysis on 5 October 2026 (most recent case). There are 19 cVDPV1 cases reported in 2026.
  • No cVDPV2 case was reported this week.  There are four cVDPV2 cases reported in 2026 (most recent case:  22 August 2026).
  • No cVDPV1-positive environmental samples were reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample: 14 July 2026).
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental samples were reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample: 12 May 2026).