POLIO [to 11 October 2014]
GPEI Update: Polio this week – As of 8 October 2014
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Editor’s Excerpt and text bolding
Full report: http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx
:: More than 6 months has passed since a case of wild poliovirus was reported in Syria or Iraq. This is testimony to the dedication of local health workers and the significant efforts of many partners to reach all children with supplementary immunization activities. Over 22 million children have been vaccinated against polio multiple times in the past year, in the midst of active conflict and a humanitarian crisis.
:: National Immunization Days (NIDs) conducted in Pakistan last week reached 34.2 million children across the country, or 95% of all children under the age of five. As case numbers climb steadily during the current ‘high season’ for polio transmission, the success of such campaigns and smaller-scale activities is critical to making the most of the upcoming ‘low season’ for polio transmission in Pakistan.
::: A 6-month Emergency Action Plan has been developed in Somalia following the Outbreak Response Assessment that took place in September. The plan outlines strategies to reach children living in nomadic pastoral communities where population-wide immunity is low.
Pakistan
:: Thirteen new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were reported in the past week in Pakistan. Of these, 9 are from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) (2 from Frontier Region Bannu and 7 from Khyber Agency); 2 are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (1 from Bunir and 1 from Mardan district); and 2 cases from Karachi’s Gadap district in Sindh province. This brings the total number of WPV1 cases in 2014 to 187 compared to 39 in 2013 by this date. The most recent case had onset of paralysis on 16 September in Khyber Agency.
:: Immunization activities are continuing with particular focus on known high-risk areas, in particular the newly opened areas of FATA. At exit and entry points, permanent vaccination points are being used to reach internally displaced families as they leave their homes.