POLIO [to 20 December 2014]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

GPEI Update: Polio this week – As of 17 December 2014
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
[Editor’s Excerpt and text bolding]
Full report: http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx
:: For the first time ever, no cases of wild poliovirus have been reported in Africa in the last 4 months. The most recent case had onset of paralysis on 11 August in Somalia.
:: In the north of Madagascar, supplementary immunization activities are currently underway in response to the outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1. National Immunization Days are planned for 19 – 23 January.
Selected country report content:
Afghanistan
:: One new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case was reported in the past week from Garmser district of Hilmand province, which had not previously reported a case in 2014. The case, which is the country’s most recent, had onset of paralysis on 17 November. The total number of WPV1 cases for 2014 in Afghanistan is now 25 compared to 11 at this time last year.
:: Given the growing wild poliovirus type 1 outbreak in neighbouring Pakistan, Afghanistan continues to conduct supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) to limit the spread of imported polioviruses and to tackle residual endemic transmission. Subnational Immunization Days (SNIDs) are planned in high risk areas of the south and east using monovalent oral polio vaccine (OPV) type 1 on 21 – 23 December, and 11 – 13 January using bivalent OPV.
Pakistan
:: Seven new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were reported in the past week. Four are from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) 3 from Khyber Agency and 1 from South Waziristan); and 3 are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province (2 from Peshawar district and 1 from Swat). The total number of WPV1 cases in Pakistan in 2014 is now 283, compared to 75 at this time last year. The most recent WPV1 case had onset of paralysis on 25 November, from Peshawar, KP.
:: Immunization activities are continuing with particular focus on known high-risk areas, in previously inaccessible areas of FATA. At exit and entry points of conflict-affected areas 100 permanent vaccination points are being used to reach internally displaced families as they move in and out of the inaccessible area. Over 1 million doses of vaccine have been used in the past few months to vaccinate people passing through transit points and in host communities, including over 850,000 children under 10 years old.
Horn of Africa
:: Following confirmation at the beginning of November of two cases of cVDPV2 in a refugee camp area of Unity state, South Sudan, outbreak response plans are in place to hold rounds of supplementary immunization activities (SIAs). Subnational Immunization Days are taking place on 16 – 19 December and 20 – 23 January. The objective is to rapidly stop the transmission of cVDPV2 in the infected area, while further boosting immunity to type 1 wild poliovirus and to minimize the risk of renewed outbreaks following wild poliovirus re-introduction from any infected countries and areas.
West Africa
:: The Ebola crisis in western Africa is impacting on the implementation or polio eradication activities in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Supplementary immunization activities in these countries have been postponed and the quality of acute flaccid paralysis surveillance has markedly decreased this year.
:: Even as polio programme staff across West Africa support efforts to control the Ebola outbreak affecting the region, efforts are being made in those countries not affected by Ebola to vaccinate children against polio.