Update: Polio this week – As of 4 Dec 2012
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx

[Editor’s Extract]
– The Regional Certification Commission of the Western Pacific met in Beijing, China, last week and confirmed the WHO Western Pacific Region’s polio-free certified status following China’s successful control of the outbreak last year in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In a press release from 29 November, Dr. Shin Young-soo, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, said “China’s all-out response to the polio outbreak is an inspiration to all countries in the Western Pacific to redouble efforts to have high-quality surveillance and immunization in place. It is encouraging to those places that still have polio that the right commitment, coordination and accountability

Afghanistan
– Two new WPV cases were reported in the past week (one WPV1 from Kandahar and one WPV1 from Uruzgan), bringing the total number of WPV cases for 2012 to 33. The most recent is a WPV1 with onset of paralysis on 9 November (from Khost).
– Additionally, two circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases were reported (from Kandahar). Genetic sequencing is ongoing to determine their origin, and to determine if they are linked to the cVDPV2 outbreak in neighbouring Pakistan (greater Quetta, Balochistan)…

Nigeria
– One new WPV case was reported in the past week (WPV1 from Nasarawa), bringing the total number of WPV cases for 2012 to 111. The WPV1 from Nasarawa is the most recent in the country and had onset of paralysis on 11 November.
– The new WPV1 case from Nasarawa occurred in the new district of Doma. The state had not reported a WPV case since June 2009, indicating continuation of localized WPV transmission in infected areas and polio-free Local Government Area (LGA)…

Pakistan
– No new WPV cases were reported in the past week. The most recently reported WPV case occurred in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (WPV1) with onset of paralysis on 10 November. The total number of WPV cases for 2012 remains 56.
– However, 3 new cVDPV2 cases were reported in the past week from Balochistan, bringing the total number of cVDPV2 cases to 10 (all from the greater Quetta area of Balochistan). Response vaccination activities are being planned for Killa Abdullah, Pishin and Quetta for second week of December…

Horn of Africa
– Efforts are continuing to stop an ongoing cVDPV2 outbreak in Kenya and parts of Somalia (in a Somali refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya, and Kismayo, south-central Somalia).
– Immunizations of older age groups have taken place in Dadaab. In Somalia, campaigns have been conducted in border areas with Kenya and Ethiopia, and in some areas of central Somalia (access allowing).

– Across the region, OPV continues to be added to broader humanitarian response activities.

New tactics are being explored to further boost immunity levels in and around inaccessible areas of south-central Somalia. Potential activities include focusing on people in transit to/from inaccessible areas, using local negotiators to allow safe passage of vaccination teams to inaccessible areas, and immunizing populations bordering inaccessible areas…