POLIO [to 4 July 2015]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

GPEI Update: Polio this week – As of 1 July 2015
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
[Editor’s Excerpt and text bolding]
Full report: http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx

:: In June, the wild poliovirus outbreaks in Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia and Kenya were assessed to be over by independent teams, having successfully interrupted transmission of the virus. While this is a sign that supplementary immunization activities and acute flaccid paralysis have been strengthened since all of the outbreaks began in 2013, it is essential for these gains to be maintained and built upon in order to protect children within these countries from the return of the virus.
Read more on Equatorial Guinea: [Polio Transmission Stopped in Equatorial Guinea Thursday, June 25, 2015/ With a polio-free future back in its grasp, Equatorial Guinea must now use gains against polio to build more sustainable protection for the future health of its children], and Ethiopia and Kenya [Ending an Outbreak: The Importance of Strong Surveillance, Friday, June 26, 2015/ The polio outbreaks in Ethiopia and Kenya were declared over this June, emphasizing the importance of strong surveillance in knowing the virus has gone from a country.

:: Five cases of circulating vaccine derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) have been reported in Madagascar, with dates of onset of paralysis in April and May 2015. These cases are genetically linked to that from September 2014, indicating prolonged and widespread circulation of the virus. The emergency outbreak response is now being intensified to build immunity against the virus in the country, as 25 % of children across Madagascar remain un- or under- immunized.
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Selected excerpts from Country-specific Reports
Afghanistan
:: The Technical Advisory Group met in early June and identified that southern and eastern Afghanistan remains at particular risk of polio. The group identified reasons for missed children, which to a great extent ar e due to remaining operational challenges during campaign implementation. The meeting put forward key recommendations to urgently address these remaining gaps.
:: National Immunization Days are scheduled on 16 to 18 August using bivalent oral polio vaccine. Since the most recent case on the 05 May, Farah has seen two supplementary immunization activities.
Nigeria
:: One new type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2) case was reported in the past week, with onset of paralysis in Kwali district, FCT, Abuja, on the 16 May. This case is genetically linked to previous VDPVs found in the environment in Kaduna from August 2014 to January 2015. The total number of cases is now one for 2015. The total number of cVDPV2 cases for 2014 in Nigeria remains 30. Learn more about VDPVs here.
:: In line with national emergency action plans, there is an aggressive and rapid response to any detected virus, including to these recent environmental samples, with large-scale mop-ups using trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).
:: Subnational Immunization Days (SNIDs) are planned across most of northern Nigeria from 25 – 28 July using tOPV, alongside mop-up activities in high-risk areas with dates to be confirmed.