18 Million People Vaccinated Against Polio

With 117 confirmed cases of circulating variant polioviruses and 107 detections in sampled wastewater in the WHO African Region as of July 2023, the Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) recently urged partners to address gaps in polio immunity urgently. 

The ARCC, which held its 31st meeting in early July 2023, called for accelerated implementation of supplementary immunization activities.

"We are looking forward to implementing the additional ARCC recommendations to guide how we can deliver on the promise of the polio-free Democratic Republic of the Congo and Africa," said Dr. Serge Emmanuel Holenn, Deputy Minister of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In this response, @WHOAFRO Tweeted on July 24, 2023, that the Republic of Madagascar recently launched a polio vaccination campaign to reach over 18 million people.

Madagascar has reported 13 cVDPV1 cases in 2023. Last year, there were 16 cVDPV1 cases.

And 8 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) positive environmental samples were reported in Analamanga in July 2023.

Countries with cVDPV1 have the risk of international spread. Therefore, they are subject to WHO temporary recommendations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says polio is a vaccine-preventable disease.

As of July 2023, 670 million doses of the nOPV2 vaccine had been administered, primarily in Africa. On March 28, 2023, the WHO's SAGE recommended that it be the preferred polio vaccine for response to cVDPV2 outbreaks wherever possible.

The nOPV2 vaccine is not authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. Therefore, it is not available in the U.S.

The ARCC is an independent body established in 1998 to oversee the certification status of the African region as free from indigenous wild poliovirus.

Updated: On July 25, 2023, the WHO confirmed the priority regions (Analamanga, Vakinankaratra, Alaotra Mangoro, and Atsimo Andrefana) and those under 15 in the 19 other regions.