Extraordinary cooperation to detect Poliovirus in Sudan
No new Wild Polio cases reported this week. We are now 6 weeks since the most recent reported Wild Polio Case – on 6/10/23 in Afghanistan.
What is that Polio Picture? It takes extraordinary cooperation to detect Poliovirus in conflict areas like Sudan.
Much like a relay race, in AFP surveillance, speed and coordination are key. Once health teams find a child with AFP, the race begins. But emergencies often present additional hurdles. In one of the localities in Sudan’s White Nile state, Ahmed Masaood, a health worker, was tasked with collecting two stool samples from a child presenting with AFP. However, when the roads outside turned unsafe during Ahmed’s visit, he ended up having to seek refuge with the family he was visiting for two nights.
As soon as he could, he rushed to the state cold room with his stool carrier to drop off the samples for storage until they could be tested.
The next lap of the race involves getting children’s stool samples to a WHO-accredited laboratory for testing. Due to the conflict, Sudan’s polio laboratory is not functioning, which meant the polio programme urgently needed to look for another laboratory to test stool samples to determine if children presenting with AFP had indeed been infected with poliovirus.
In a remarkable partnership, Sudan’s polio program teamed up with Egypt’s health authorities to use the VACSERA laboratory in Giza for this crucial task. Senior decision makers at the Egyptian Ministry of Health not only approved the collaboration but instructed for it to begin as soon as possible.
A Win Against Polio is a Win for Global Health!
2023 Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Cases – 186 Benin – 3, Burkina Faso – 1, Central African Republic – 10, Chad – 15, Cote d’ Ivoire – 2, DR Congo – 107, Indonesia – 3, Israel – 1, Madagascar – 13, Mali – 3, Mozambique – 3, Nigeria – 19, Somalia – 2, Tanzania – 1, Zambia – 1.
New Polio Cases & Samples This Week –
- Chad: five cVDPV2 cases
- Congo: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
- DR Congo: eight cVDPV1 cases, 16 cVDPV2 cases and two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
- Madagascar: eight cVDPV1 positive environmental samples
- Somalia: three cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
- Tanzania: one cVDPV2 case
- Zambia: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
2022 Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Case Total – 912 Afghanistan – 43, Algeria – 3, Benin – 11 (3 in 2021), Burundi – 1, Cameroon – 3 (3 in 2021), Central African Republic – 6, Chad -44 (0 in 2021), DR Congo – 507 (28 in 2021), Republic of Congo – 1, Eritrea – 1, Ethiopia – 1, Ghana – 3, Indonesia – 1, Israel – 1, Madagascar – 14 (13 in 2021), Malawi – 4, Mali – 2, Mozambique – 22 (2 in 2021), Niger – 16 (18 in 2021), Nigeria – 48 (415 in 2021), Pakistan – 8, Somalia – 5 (1 in 2021), Sudan – 1, Togo – 2, United States – 1, Yemen – 162 (69 in 2021).
2021 Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Cases -689 in 22 Countries.
2020 Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Cases – 1,113 in 26 countries in 2020.
Quote of the Day
“Let’s think BIG about our Polio fundraising this year. Begin planning your World Polio Day fundraiser now for October 24 if you haven’t already.”
— Barry Rassin, Rotary Foundation Chair 2023-24
The Final Two Polio Endemic Countries:
Pakistan
as of 8/5/2023
0 new Polio cases reported this week. The most recent cases had an onset of paralysis on 2/20/23.
0 WPV1 and 0 CVDPV2-Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Afghanistan.
1 Wild Polio cases – 2023
20 Wild Polio cases – 2022
1 Wild Polio case – 2021
84 Wild Polio cases – 2020
Afghanistan
as of 8/5/2023
0 new Polio cases reported this week. The most recent cases had an onset of paralysis on 6/10/23.
1 WPV1 and 0 CVDPV2-Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Afghanistan.
5 Wild Polio cases – 2023 (all from Nangarhar Province)
2 Wild Polio case – 2022
4 Wild Polio cases – 2021
56 Wild Polio cases – 2020
Our Goal is Global Polio Eradication!!
Terry Ziegler, Polio Update Newsletter Editor Rotary Region 36
