No new Wild Polio cases reported this week.  We are now 9 weeks since the most recent reported Wild Polio Case – on 7/20/23 in Pakistan. Intensified efforts continue to be implemented in Pakistan, particularly in the southern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to urgently eradicate the remaining endemic WPV1 transmission.

What is that Polio Picture? Dr Faisal Lodhi (Emergency Consultant, WHO Regional Office for Europe) is committed to protecting the people of Ukraine and neighboring countries from the devastating consequences of polio. Despite facing challenges of his own due to a multiple sclerosis diagnosis, Dr Lodhi remains dedicated to saving as many lives as he can by helping country teams respond to polio outbreaks swiftly and efficiently.

This year, each Rotarian is encouraged to make a personal donation (of a size dictated by their financial situation) to the PolioPlus Fund by World Polio Day. And for Club leaders to make sure each donation is recognized as Paul Harris or Major Donor credit.

A Win Against Polio is a Win for Global Health!

2023 Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Cases – 282 Benin – 3, Burkina Faso – 2, Burundi – 1, Central African Republic – 11, Chad – 33, Cote d’ Ivoire – 4, DR Congo – 155, Guinea – 5, Indonesia – 3, Israel – 1, Kenya – 5, Madagascar – 17, Mali – 8, Mozambique – 3, Nigeria – 24, Somalia – 3, Tanzania – 2, Yemen – 2, Zambia – 1.

New Polio Cases & Samples This Week –

• Pakistan: two WPV1 positive environmental samples
• Côte d’Ivoire: one cVDPV2 case
• DR Congo: two cVDPV1 cases, eight cVDPV2 cases and two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
• Egypt: three cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
• Madagascar: four cVDPV1 cases and 24 positive environmental samples
• Mali: two cVDPV2 cases
• Tanzania: 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

“We have made a promise to the children of the world to eradicate this disease (Polio). We have never been this close. And we can’t take our foot off the gas because billions of children will be vulnerable if we do.”

— Jennifer Jones – Past RI President and current Rotary Foundation Trustee

The Final Two Polio Endemic Countries:

as of 9/30/2023

0 new Polio cases reported this week. The most recent cases had an onset of paralysis on 6/10/23.
0  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