Polio update: WPV1 cases in 2019 nearly double last year, Myanmar reports 3rd cVDPV1 case

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews

Wild poliovirus type 1

With three additional wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases reported in the past week, this brings the total for 2019 through the end of July to 59, nearly double the 33 total cases seen in all of 2018.

In Afghanistan, one WPV1 case has been reported in the past week from Garmser district, Hilmand province, bringing the total for the year to 12.

Pakistan reported two additional WPV1 cases– one from Quetta district, Balochistan province and one from Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The country has already reported 47 cases this year after reporting 12 in all of 2018.

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Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus

Myanmar saw an additional case of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) has been reported this week in Papun district, Kayin province. This is the third case were reported in 2019 so far.

4 cVDPV cases have been reported in Asia this year–Myanmar (3) and China (1).

While no wild poliovirus has been detected on the African continent since September 2016, 40 cVDPV cases have been recorded in 2019 to date.

The cases include Democratic Republic Of The Congo (15), Nigeria (13), Central African Republic (4), Angola and Somalia with (3) each and Ethiopia and Niger have each recorded a single case.

4 cases were reported in Asia–Myanmar (3) and China (1).

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the risk of international spread and/or emergence of cVDPV2 across Africa to be high due to suboptimal immunity of population, ongoing population movement, and increasing mucosal immunity gaps to type 2 poliovirus.