Malawi health officials have declared an outbreak of wild poliovirus type 1 after a case was confirmed in a 3-year-old girl in the capital, Lilongwe. According to, this was the first case in Africa in five years. World Health Organization (WHO).
Worldwide, there were only five cases of wild poliovirus in 2021, WHO said.
“As long as wild polio exists somewhere in the world, all countries are at risk of virus imports,” WHO Africa Regional Director Matshidiso Moeti said in a statement.
Girl paralyzed in November
Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) Said in a statement A 3-year-old girl experienced paralysis in November and a stool sample was collected. Sequencing of the virus was performed this month by the National Institute for Infectious Diseases in South Africa, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified the case as WPV1.
According to WHO’s announcement, laboratory analysis shows that the strains identified in Malawi are associated with the strains that are endemic in Sindh, Pakistan. Polio is endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Kacey C, a professor and infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Arizona’s Tucson University of Zuckerman Public Health. Ernst, PhD, and MPH pointed out that what is not clear from the press release is whether the girl traveled to Pakistan or was infected. In Malawi.
Dr. Casey Ernst
“This is a very important detail that shows whether the infection is active in Malawi. It is difficult to determine the extent of the outbreak until the information is released,” she said. .. Medscape Medical News. “Fortunately, this case was actually detected. A surveillance system was in place to identify wild-type cases.”
“It’s not a reason to panic. Malawi has a very high polio vaccination rate, which is very small and could be well contained,” Ernst said, although there are some causes of concern.
She added that the medical community needs to be warned that this case has been identified so that travelers who have been to affected areas with some symptoms can be properly screened.
WHO said it is supporting Malawi’s health authorities in its response, including strengthening immunization.
However, vaccination campaigns take place during times of drastic change in Malawi’s healthcare system.
Joia S. Mukazy, Chief Medical Officer of Partners in Health and Associate Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, said: I am saying. Medscape Medical News, “Malawi, like countries around the world, is experiencing service interruptions due to COVID. In addition, Malawi is currently dealing with the aftermath of a cyclone that has evacuated nearly one million people. The vaccination campaign is Most effective when solid. Infrastructure. Both COVID and the effects of climate change have shaken the health system. “
Last year, the United Nations health agency said that millions of children who were not immunized during a pandemic “now” especially in Africa. measlesPolio, yellow feverWhen diphtheria” Reuters reported.
Africa has been certified as wild Poliovirus free The CDC has been a lead partner for over 30 years in helping Africa reach its milestones. Africa will maintain its position as tensions have arisen in Pakistan, WHO said.
Five of the six WHO regions are certified No polio.. The Americas received eradication certification in 1994.
There is no cure for polio that can cause irreversible paralysis within hours, but the disease is largely eradicated worldwide with effective vaccines.
GPEI sending team
GPEI has sent a team to Malawi to support emergency operations, communications and monitoring. Partner organizations also send teams to support operational and innovative vaccination campaign solutions.
GPEI was established in 1988 with the cooperation of governments, WHO, Rotary International, CDC and UNICEF. The GPEI partnership includes the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and, more recently, the vaccine alliance Gabi.
The CDC is “”[G]The incidence of polio has decreased by 99.9% since the establishment of GPEI. Today, an estimated 16 million people were walking, who would have been paralyzed by the disease, more than 1.5 million were alive, or would otherwise have lost their lives. Currently, the challenge remains to work on polio at the last few locations and remove the last 0.1% of polio. “
Three wild poliovirus strains
There are three wild poliovirus strains: Type 1 (WPV1), Type 2 (WPV2), and Type 3 (WPV3).
“As a symptom, all three strains are identical in that they all cause irreversible paralysis or even death. However, the inheritance that makes these three strains three separate viruses that must be eradicated individually. There are physical and virological differences. ” According to WHO..
WPV3 is the second strain to be wiped out after WPV2 was certified for eradication in 2015.
Marcia Frellick is a freelance journalist based in Chicago. She has previously contributed to the Chicago Tribune, Science News, Nurse.com and was the editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, Cincinnati Enquirer, and St. Cloud (Minnesota) Times. Follow her on her Twitter @mfrellick
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