Both Pakistan and Afghanistan, two of the remaining endemic countries, reported new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases during the past week, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) this week.
Pakistan recorded 21 new WPV1 cases, of these, 12 are from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) (3 from North Waziristan, 3 from South Waziristan and 6 from Khyber Agency); 4 are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1 from Tank, 1 from Peshawar and 2 from the previously uninfected district of Bunir); 1 from Kabdulah, Balochistan; 1 in the previously uninfected district of Bhakkar in Punjab; and 3 cases in Sindh (2 in Khigadap and 1 in Khiorangi).
The total WPV1 cases in Pakistan now stands at 166 year-to-date, or 82% of the global total. This compares to the 28 WPV1 cases reported in the country at the same time in 2013.
Pakistan’s neighbor to the west, Afghanistan also reported two cases, both linked to cross border transmission with Pakistan, according to the GPEI.
One of the newly-reported cases had onset of paralysis on 1 September, in Kandahar province, Southern Region, and the other case is from Paktika province, close to the border with Pakistan, both previously unaffected areas.
This brings the global total of WPV1 cases from endemic and outbreak countries to 201. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
In addition, both Nigeria and Pakistan reported cases of type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2), bringing the totals in each country to 20 and 19, respectively. Read more about cVDPV2 HERE
Immunization campaigns in West and Central Africa have reached 94 million children in 18 countries, the GPEI notes. Africa is closer than ever to eradication, with a reduction in cases of over 90% so far in 2014 compared with 2013. This intense effort shows the commitment of governments to eradicating polio, even in the face of the vast demands of the current Ebola outbreak on western Africa.
