Polio [to 24 May 2014]

GPEI Update: Polio this week – As of 21 May 2014
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Full report: http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx
:: The 67th World Health Assembly, the WHO’s highest decision-making body, is meeting this week in Geneva. The report of the polio eradication programme to the Assembly is available here, and is scheduled to be discussed on Friday. On the sidelines of WHA, Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General for Polio and Emergencies, discussed polio eradication at the World Health +SocialGood digital event on Monday. The recorded discussion can be watched here (start at 1:04:00).
:: In a statement published on 13 May, the Government of Pakistan announced that it had initiated implementation of the Temporary Recommendations to reduce the international spread of wild poliovirus as recently issued by WHO. Health facilities across Pakistan are now vaccinating prospective travelers and issuing the required vaccination certificates.
:: An Extraordinary Technical Advisory Group on Polio convened for the WHO Americas Region has agreed with the objectives of the polio endgame, including the phased removal of oral polio vaccine from the routine immunization schedule.
Nigeria
:: Two new cVDPV2 cases were reported in the past week from Damboa LGA, Borno state. The most recent cVDPV2 case had onset of paralysis on 20 April. The total number of cVDPV2 cases for 2014 is three, and for 2013 is four.
Pakistan
:: Five new WPV1 cases were reported in the past week from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), including three cases from North Waziristan, one from South Waziristan, and one from Khyber agency, bringing the total number of WPV1 cases reported from Pakistan for 2014 to 66. The most recent WPV1 case had onset of paralysis on 1 May (from Khyber agency).

Polio issue to be raised at Taliban talks
Business Recorder (Pakistan)
May 23, 2014
MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN
Excerpt
Government has decided to take up polio immunisation with Taliban in the ongoing peace talks and incentives vaccination program in focused areas through Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), official sources told Business Recorder. This decision was taken at a recent meeting of Federal Cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
“Take up polio immunisation in the ongoing talks with militants as the key challenge to polio eradication is the resistance to polio vaccination in North and South Waziristan. All children leaving the tribal areas should be vaccinated at checkposts and permanent transit points,” the sources quoted the Prime Minister as saying in the meeting.
Official documents reveal that the Prime Minister – from the outset of briefing – stated that vigorous work was required for polio eradication as the prestige of the country was at stake. He informed the Cabinet that the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Chief of the Army Staff had been directed to provide security to vaccinators…