POLIO [to 13 September 2014]
GPEI Update: Polio this week – As of 10 September 2014
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Editor’s Excerpt and text bolding
Full report: http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx
:: More than 650,000 individuals (more than 370,000 below 5 years) have been vaccinated from 21st May to 4th September 2014 in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan. Most of those reached are internally displaced persons from North Waziristan. In Nigeria, 97% of surveyed Local Government Areas achieved over 80% coverage during the August polio immunization round, according to preliminary findings from the most recent Lot Quality Assurance Sampling.
:: Protecting west Africa: Even as polio programme staff across west Africa support efforts to control the Ebola outbreak affecting the region, preparations are going ahead for large scale multi-country vaccination campaigns in those countries not affected by Ebola, in mid-September.
:: A new case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been reported in Somalia. Planning for an increased focus on reaching pastoral communities has begun, using innovative techniques such as satellite imagery for micro-planning.
Afghanistan
:: Polio vaccination activities resumed in August in parts of Helmand Province in the Southern Region of Afghanistan for the first time in five months. Since then, two campaigns have been done. The upcoming 21-23 September activity will cover the entire province using bivalent OPV.
Pakistan
:: 21 new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were reported in the past week. Of these, 17 are from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) (2 from North Waziristan, 4 from South Waziristan and 11 from Khyber agency) and 4 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1 from Tank (the first case from this district for 2014), 2 from Bannu, and 1 from Lakki Marwat). This brings the total number of polio cases in 2014 to 138 compared to 28 in 2013 by this date. The most recent onset of paralysis was on 24 August in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
:: The high number of WPV1 cases reported this week are due to a backlog in the laboratory, and represents a period of onset from 20 July to 24 August.
Horn of Africa
:: One new case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been reported in the past week in Somalia, the first case to be found in the Hobyo district of Mudug province. Onset of paralysis was on 11 August. This brings the total number of cases that have been reported in the Horn of Africa to date in 2014 to six: one in Ethiopia (date of onset of paralysis on 14 January) and five in Somalia.
:: Activities are being initiated to address the spread of WPV-1 in Somalia, with an increased focus on accessing pastoral communities, using satellite imagery for micro-plannin