Highlights and global details:
No WPV cases reported this week.
| WPV | cVDPV | |
| 2017 to 22 August | 9 | 40 |
| 2016 to similar date | 21 | 3 |
| 2016 full year | 37 | 7 |
For polio-free certification purposes the start date for WPV monitoring is that of the onset of paralysis. The most recent WPV1 cases with onset of paralysis were:
• In Afghanistan – 10 July 2017 so 6 weeks since the onset of polio.
• In Pakistan - 11 June 2017 or 10 weeks since the onset of polio.
• In Nigeria - 21 August 2016 or 52 weeks since the onset of polio.
1. WPV1 cases:
• 3 cases in Pakistan vs. 13 cases at the same time in 2016. The latest report on AFC stool specimens is 5,078 specimens tested and 250 tests still to be done.
• 6 cases in Afghanistan vs. 6 cases at the same time in 2016.
• No cases in Nigeria. There were 2 cases in Nigeria confirmed at this time last year.
• No other cases though there is much immunisation activity now in the Lake Chad countries following the Nigerian cases in August 2016.
No WPV1 positive environmental samples were collected this week. The total number of WPV1 positive environmental samples collected in 2017 is 71 (The environmental presence of viral particles last for 7-14 days).
2. WPV2 cases:
• Declared eradicated September 2015. (Last case was in October 1999.)
3. WPV3 cases:
• No cases reported since 10 November 2012. (That was in Nigeria.)
The WHO have indicated that for both the DRC and Syria the recent cVDPV2 cases reported should not have been unexpected and do not change the operational situation. The cases of cVDPV this year together with the dates of onset of paralysis for the most recent case is:
• In Syria 33 cases of cVDPV2 – 10 July 2017.
• In the DRC 7 cases of cVDPV2 – 13 June 2017.
1. cVDPV1 cases:
- No cases in 2017. Three cases reported in Laos in 2016. In 2015 there were ten cases in Madagascar, eight cases in the Lao Republic and two cases in the Ukraine.
2. cVDPV2 cases:
- Seven cases in total in DRC in two separate outbreaks:
o 5 cases in Haut Lomami province. The onset of paralysis of the most recent case was on 13 June.
o 2 cases in Maniema province. Onset of paralysis on 26 March and 18 April. - 33 cases in Syria.
o Thirty-one cases are from Deir Ez-Zour governate. (29 from Mayadeen district.)
o One case from the Talabyad district in the Raqqa governate.
o One case from the Tadmour district in the Homs governate.
o All the Syrian cases had onset of paralysis between 3 March and 10 July. However the outbreak response in Syria is including immunisation of at-risk populations in northwest Syria, Turkey and Lebanon.
Polio is an infectious, crippling and potentially fatal disease. There is no cure, but there are effective vaccines. The strategy to eradicate polio is based on preventing infection by immunising every child until transmission stops and the world is polio-free. The source of polio virus transmission is infectious humans but only 1 in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis. Of those paralysed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilised.
Other comments (from the internet and other sources):
Joining the celebration marking one year of no polio cases in Nigeria, was Michael McGovern, chairman of the International PolioPlus Committee (IPPC), and Carol Pandak, Director of the Rotary International PolioPlus Division. They were on an official visit to Nigeria, alongside Dr. Tunji Funsho, District 9110 Governor and Dr. Wale Ogunbadejo, chairman of the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee. The visiting Rotarians lauded the efforts of members in Nigeria in combating polio and congratulated the nation for the achievement, adding that it remains two more years of robust surveillance for the nation to be totally certified free of polio. McGovern called on the Federal Government and the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the other two nations still contending with the virus, to keep on supporting Rotary for total eradication of polio. He warned that as long as a single case of polio is prevalent in a nation, it couldn’t be polio-free due to the possibility of the spread of the contagious virus. He also emphasised the importance of children being given the vaccine continuously until no more case of polio is recorded within the stipulated years for total freedom. At the event, scholarships were awarded to three persons after being selected from the pool of applicants who lost loved ones in the course of carrying out polio immunisation and to a student undertaking a course in public health. Furthermore, popular Nolloywood actress, Kate Henshaw, emerged Polio Ambassador, and promised to promote the course of Rotary in eradicating polio.
Aziz Memon has forwarded a detail report from the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative Team which says the three cases of WPV1 are from 3 districts, compared to 14 cases from 10 districts during 2016 at the same time. Among 379 environmental samples processed this year 59 were positive for WPV1.
• Case response in Rawalpindi (phase-1 and 2) has been completed in all planned areas vaccinating, 1,535,369 children out of the total 1,567,386 targeted.
• So far 57 LQAS lots have been assessed in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, out of which 54 were passed. The third round of event response in Rawalpindi is going to start in 16 high risk UCs of Rawalpindi. Islamabad is going to commence an IPV-OPV mop up campaign along with routine Immunisation in high risk areas.
• A special mop up campaign for high risk mobile population groups has been completed in six planned districts of Hyderabad division (Sindh) covering 134,211 children.
• Immunisation has been started in Quetta block.
• The Mastung. Karachi measles campaign is also in process in Karachi targeting 1.725 million children for OPV and 1.516 million children from measles.
A further note from Aziz, refers to a Rotary delegation calling on the President of Pakistan to discuss and endorse the polio eradication program in Pakistan. The country has come a long way in the eradication of polio and this would not have been possible without the ownership and commitment of the Federal and Provincial Governments. The delegation also asked that the polio program should not be derailed during elections. Aziz Memon said that Quetta block needs our special attention and there is a need to be very vigilant with the transient population crossing the Pak-Afghan border. Karachi also needs monitoring. It is a very volatile city. It has not had a polio case in the last 23 months. The President reaffirmed his full support and assured that polio eradication is a national agenda and all political parties will continue the progress till the ground zero is reached.
24 August 2017
Reg Ling
Rotary Club of Chandler's Ford and Itchen Valley.
Rotary District 1110 (Central Southern England and the Channel Islands).
Rotary Zone 18A (Southern England and Gibraltar) End Polio Now Coordinator (EPNC).