POLIO [to 21 May 2016]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

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Polio this week as of 18 May 2016
:: From the 17 April to 1 May, 155 countries and territories participated in the historic trivalent to bivalent oral polio vaccine switch, withdrawing the type two component of the vaccine to protect future generations against circulating vaccine derived polioviruses. Track the switch live.

:: Preparing for the WHA: next week, health ministers from around the world will convene in Geneva for the annual World Health Assembly (WHA). Among other public health topics, delegates will review and discuss the latest global polio epidemiology. The GPEI has set up a WHA-specific polio website, with key documents to help guide discussions.

The Trivalent to Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine Switch
:: Between 17 April and 1 May, the type 2 component of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) is being removed from use through a globally synchronized switch from the trivalent to bivalent oral polio vaccine. This is the first stage of objective 2 of the Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018 to withdraw OPV in a phased manner starting with the type 2 component following the eradication of wild poliovirus type 2 in September 2015.

:: Thanks to the efforts of a wide range of stakeholders from Ministries of Health, health workers, volunteers, switch monitors, WHO, UNCEF and partners of the World Health Organization, confirmation has been received that 152 countries have completed the switch.

:: Follow a live update of which countries have undergone the switch. Learn more about why the switch is such an important part of ensuring a polio-free world through this series of videos.

:: The following indicators are being carefully tracked to ensure the switch goes smoothly. As of 10 May:
…155 of 155 (100%) countries and territories have stopped using the trivalent oral polio vaccine.
…Independent monitoring to ensure the switch goes smoothly has begun in 151 countries (99%).
…The National Validation Committee has received switch monitoring data from 124 countries.
…The WHO Regional Office has received the National Validation Report from 124 countries.

Selected Country Levels Updates [excerpted]
Afghanistan
:: One new case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was reported in the past week in Shahwalikot district of Kandahar, with onset of paralysis on 4 April. The total number of WPV1 cases for 2016 is now five, compared to one reported by this date in 2015.
Pakistan
:: One new case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) was reported in the past week, from Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province with onset of paralysis on 23 April. It is the most recent case in the country, and brings the total number of WPV1 cases for 2016 to ten.

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National polio immunization campaign aims to vaccinate over 9 million children in Afghanistan
Kabul 16 May 2016 – The Ministry of Public Health, with the support of WHO and UNICEF, launched a national campaign today to vaccinate every child under the age of 5 against polio in Afghanistan. The immunization campaign will run throughout Afghanistan for 4 days with 65,000 trained health workers aiming to vaccinate over 9 million children.

During this polio immunization round all children aged 2–5 years will also receive de-worming tablets. These tablets prevent worm infections that cause anaemia, malnourishment and impaired mental and physical development in children, and improve children’s overall health and development…