POLIO [to 2 May 2015]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

GPEI Update: Polio this week – As of 29 April 2015
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
[Editor’s Excerpt and text bolding]
Full report: http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx
:: Our thoughts are with the people of Nepal, where the polio infrastructure is closely involved in relief operations. Polio staff are often among the first to respond in emergencies by utilizing their local knowledge and strong systems to plan, monitor and implement the response.
:: Following a year since the last detection of wild poliovirus in the environment, Israel has been moved from the International Health Regulations (IHR) list of countries infected with poliovirus to the list of countries no longer infected but vulnerable to the international spread of polio. The Emergency Committee of the IHR met on 24 April for the fifth time to discuss the temporary recommendations and a report will be released shortly. More.
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Selected excerpts from Country-specific Reports
Pakistan
:: One new WPV1 case was reported in this week in Peshawar district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. This most recent case had onset of paralysis on 29 March. The total number of WPV1 cases for 2015 is now 22 (and remains 306 for 2014)
:: Efforts are ongoing to strengthen the implementation of the ‘low season’ emergency operations plan. Strong, functional Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) are now operational both at the federal and provincial levels. Strategies are focusing on clearly identifying reasons for missed children, and putting in place area-specific mechanisms to overcome area-specific challenges. Independent monitoring is being strengthened and rolled out across wider geographic areas to provide a clearer assessment of quality and associated gaps.
:: Activities are focusing on known infected areas, but also areas deemed at high-risk but which have not reported polio cases. Environmental surveillance indicates widespread transmission of polioviruses, not just in known infected areas but also in areas without cases. Environmental surveillance is proving to be an instrumental supplemental surveillance tool enabling a clearer epidemiological picture.