Malawi’s medical administration announced an outbreak caused by a wild-type strain of polio virus type I after a case was detected in a young child in the country’s capital, Lilongwe. This is the first case of wild polio in Africa in more than five years, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported.
Polio, formerly known as Heine-Medin disease, is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It attacks the nervous system and can cause complete paralysis. The virus is transmitted from person to person mainly via the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, via contaminated water or food, and multiplies in the intestine. There is no cure for polio, but the disease is preventable with a simple and effective vaccine.
There are three different wild-type polio viruses, types 1, 2 and 3. Each causes similar disease symptoms associated with paralysis, which can be fatal. The three types of poliovirus differ in their antigenicity.
For many years, WHO has been carrying out mass vaccination as part of a global polio eradication program. In 2015, the Poliomyelitis Eradication Commission confirmed the eradication of type 2 polio virus, and in 2019, type 3 polio virus eradication. Currently, cases of wild type 1 polio virus infections remain mainly in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Unfortunately, in Poland, the percentage of children vaccinated against polio at the age of two has fallen from almost 100%. in 2010 to 93 percent. in 2020. Meanwhile, at the end of 2021, single cases of polio were reported in Ukraine.
- Poland is approaching the limit of population immunity to polio
Africa was declared wild polio free in August 2020 after all forms of wild polio were eradicated from the region. Laboratory analysis showed that the strain detected in Malawi is related to one that was circulating in Pakistan’s Sindh Province. As a case imported from Pakistan, the infection detected in Lilongwe does not affect the certification status of wild poliovirus in the African region.
“As long as wild polio exists worldwide, all countries are at risk of importing the virus,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Africa. When wild polio is detected in Malawi, we are taking urgent action to prevent its potential spread. Thanks to the high level of polio surveillance on the continent and the ability to detect the virus quickly, we can respond in time and protect children from the devastating effects of the disease, ‘he added.
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WHO is supporting Malawi’s health authorities in carrying out a risk and response assessment to the outbreak, including additional immunization. It also increases disease surveillance in neighboring countries. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) Rapid Response Team, which is based at the WHO Regional Office in Africa, has deployed a team to support Malawi. Partner organizations will also send teams to support rescue operations and innovative vaccination campaign solutions.
“The last case of wild polio in Africa was identified in northern Nigeria in 2016, and globally there were only five cases in 2021. Each case of wild polio is a significant event and we will mobilize all resources to support the country’s response,” said Dr. Modjirom Ndoutabe, polio coordinator at the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
Author: Paweł Wernicki
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