GPEI Update: Polio this week – As of 6 August 2014
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Editor’s Excerpt and text bolding
Full report: http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx
:: On 31 July, the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee on polio was held by teleconference, to reassess the situation and examine the actions that countries have taken since the declaration of the ‘public health emergency of international concern’ (PHEIC) in May. The Director-General of WHO accepted the advice of the Committee and has declared that the international spread of polio in 2014 continues to constitute a PHEIC. She has extended the Temporary Recommendations, effective 3 August, and requested the Committee to reassess the situation in a further 3 months. Of note, the Committee had expressed concern that application of the existing Temporary Recommendations remains incomplete. For more, including the full report of the Committee, please click here.
:: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have produced a short film to sensitize migrant workers to the importance of vaccinating their children against polio. The three-minute film will be shown on Etihad Airways flights from Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi, Pakistan, throughout August. Special public screenings in high-risk neighbourhoods will also be organized. To view the short film, please click here.
Pakistan
:: Two new WPV1 cases were reported in the past week, from Khyber Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), bringing the total number of WPV1 cases for 2014 to 104. The most recent WPV1 case in the country had onset of paralysis on 9 July, from South Waziristan, FATA
Central Africa
:: Two new WPV1 cases were reported from Cameroon (from Est province, with onset of paralysis on 1 July and 9 July). In 2014, ten cases were reported in central Africa: five in Cameroon and five in Equatorial Guinea.
:: The two cases are from a refugee camp in the east of the country, among refugees from Central African Republic (CAR). Coordination with NGOs and organizations such as UNHCR is being strengthened.
:: Given the new cases detected in Est region, Cameroon is developing a rapid response plan.
:: Efforts are also ongoing to improve immunity levels and surveillance sensitivity in neighbouring CAR. With evidence of declining surveillance and immunity levels, coupled with large-scale population movements, the risk of spread of polio into CAR is high. Coordination with NGOs and other health organizations on the ground is strong. Plans are under discussion to conduct polio campaigns. As part of this, active searches for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) will be conducted, and communities and health centres sensitized on the need for immunization and detection of AFP cases.
:: Equatorial Guinea has conducted three national campaigns using bivalent OPV. Two more national activities are planned for all children aged less than 15 years in August (7-10 and 28-31). In addition, two more activities are planned (20-23 September for <5s, and in November – exact dates and age group to be confirmed). A house-to-house search for AFP cases will be conducted during the campaign; a similar search is currently taking place in Gabon. Countries across central Africa are conducting campaigns.