More Polio Cases Confirmed in Africa

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) recently reported three African nations confirmed circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases.

GPEI's weekly report issued on December 21, 2021, disclosed Nigeria reported 14 cases from six different states, raising its total to 321 this year.

Meanwhile, Niger reported five cases from four different locations, and Yemen reported 2 cases.

Yemen has reported seven vaccine-derived polio cases this year; three involved circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1), and four were linked to cVDPV2.

Polio can be prevented with a vaccine.

Since 2000, an inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has been most often given in the USA. The IVP produces antibodies to all three poliovirus types, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The U.S. CDC recommends that children in the USA get polio vaccinated to protect against poliomyelitis.

According to the WHO, oral polio vaccines (OPV) are offered in many countries. 

There are different types of OPV, which may contain one, a combination of two, or all three different serotypes of an attenuated vaccine.

The WHO Prequalification Program issued an Emergency Use Listing recommendation for the nOPV2 vaccine on November 13, 2020.

This announcement enables the rollout of the nOPV2 vaccine in countries affected by circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreaks. 

On December 27, 2021, the CDC issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory saying various destinations in Africa are considered high risk for polio.

'Before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of a polio vaccine,' says the CDC.