The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) reported this week circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 3 (cVDPV3) is confirmed in Somalia, following isolation of the virus from four environmental samples collected between 8-22 March, from two environmental sites in Banadir province.
Image/Public domain image/ Lexicon at the English Wikipedia project
This follows confirmation of a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in the Horn of Africa, with the virus isolated from environmental samples collected from Mogadishu, Somalia, and Nairobi, Kenya.
As of 16 May, there has been no isolation of either cVDPV3 or cVDPV2 from acute flaccid paralysis cases or their contacts in either Somalia or Kenya.
Rotary International and the battle against polio
Outbreak response activities for both strains of poliovirus are currently being implemented, in line with internationally-agreed guidelines. In Somalia, three large-scale supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) have been implemented in Banadir, Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle regions; additional SIAs are planned other affected areas in the Horn of Africa in May. Intensified surveillance activities are being undertaken to determine the origin of the viral circulation.
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