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Highlights and global details:

No WPV cases reported this week but three WPV1 positive environmental samples were collected, two in Pakistan and one in Afghanistan. For polio-free certification purposes the start date for WPV monitoring is that of the onset of paralysis. There were six cVDPV2 cases confirmed last week. Three from Syria, as had been predicted last week, and three in the DRC but two of them were late reports from the outbreak reported earlier. The WHO have indicated that for both countries additional cases should not be unexpected and do not change the operational situation  However the outbreak response in Syria is including immunisation of at-risk populations in Turkey and Lebanon.

 

  WPV cVDPV
2017 to 8 August 8 31
2016 to similar date 19 3
2016 full year 37 7


The most recent WPV1 cases with onset of paralysis were:
•    In Afghanistan – 19 June 2017 so 7 weeks since the onset of polio.
•    In Pakistan - 11 June 2017 or 8 weeks since the onset of polio.
•    In Nigeria - 21 August 2016 or 50 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 4,884 specimens tested and 366 tests still to be done.  
•    5 cases in Afghanistan vs. 6 cases at the same time in 2016.  
•    No cases in Nigeria. There were no cases in 2015 but cases were identified in 2016 as a result of new initiatives in the northern States where Boko Haram had made access difficult. No new cases since August 2016.
•    No other cases though there is much immunisation activity now in the Lake Chad countries following the Nigerian cases in August 2016.  From 25 to 28 March, synchronised polio campaigns took place across 13 countries in west and central Africa including Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Guinea, Mali and Niger. Over 190,000 vaccinators immunised more than 116 million children over the campaigns.

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.)

 

There were six cases of cVDPV2 this week, three in Syria and three in the DRC. The cases of cVDPV this year together with the dates of onset of paralysis for the most recent case is:

•    cVDPV2 30 cases in Syria – 16 June 2017.
•    cVDPV2 7 cases in DRC – 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:

  • Four cases in total in DRC and 27 cases in Syria. All the Syrian cases had onset of paralysis between 3 March and 6 June.

 

Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. There is no cure, but there are safe and 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):

Many, many positive reports on the £100 million UK pledge and some comments on the preparedness of Pakistan for upcoming immunisations and from Afghanistan on the dates for next NIDs.

10 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).