Africa's Road to Zero Polio

The recently announced Africa Regional Polio Eradication Action Plan 2024-2025 outlines a new strategy for responding to polio outbreaks.

Released on August 19, 2024, the pre-publication version introduces a different approach by addressing all instances of poliomyelitis (polio) transmission, including outbreaks of circulating variant poliovirus, as if they were cases of wild poliovirus (WPV).

This action plan advocates for a more proactive strategy instead of following the previous two-round campaign response. It suggests that countries affected by polio should conduct between three and five vaccination campaign rounds based on their specific risk and population immunity.

The plan's authors wrote, 'By pursuing a new course of action defined by these priorities, the WHO African Region will end outbreaks and build the resilience required to achieve and maintain a polio-free Africa.'

Furthermore, this plan offers hope for the countries currently reporting poliovirus detections. On August 28, 2024, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported the following summary:

Afghanistan: four WPV1 cases,

Pakistan: two WPV1 cases and 16 positive environmental samples,

Chad: two cVDPV2 cases and two positive environmental samples,

Côte d’Ivoire: two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples,

DR Congo: one cVDPV2 case,

Niger: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample,

Nigeria: three cVDPV2 cases and one positive environmental sample,

Palestinian territory: one cVDPV2 case,

South Sudan: one cVDPV2 case.

To alert international travelers to their potential polio risk, the U.S. CDC reconfirmed in August 2024 that before any of 37 countries, ensure you are up to date on your polio vaccines.

The GPEI previously launched its Polio Eradication Strategy 2022–2026. The GPEI strategy called for a rigorous review of its plan in 2023.

As of late August 2024, the type 2 novel oral polio (nOPV2) vaccine, produced by PT Biofarma, has been administered over one billion times in various countries. This vaccine was designed to improve phenotypic stability and make the poliovirus strains less prone to reversion to virulence.