1. Persistent transmission of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus -- Somalia, January 2017--March 2024.
- Author
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Mendes, Amalia, Mohamed, Gedi Abdi, Derow, Mohamed, Stehling-Ariza, Tasha, Mohamed, Abdinoor, Mengistu, Kumlachew, Bullard, Kelley, Akbar, Irfan Elahi, Shukla, Hemant, Al Safadi, Mohammad, and Martinez, Maureen
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PUBLIC health surveillance , *IMMUNIZATION , *ACUTE flaccid paralysis , *ENTEROVIRUSES , *SURVEYS , *EPIDEMICS , *POLIOMYELITIS vaccines , *TIME , *SEQUENCE analysis ,POLIO transmission - Abstract
Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, substantial progress has been made in interruption of wild poliovirus (WPV) transmission worldwide: global eradication of WPV types 2 and 3 was certified in 2015 and 2019, respectively, and endemic transmission of WPV type 1 continues only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Since synchronized global withdrawal of all serotype 2 oral poliovirus vaccines (OPV) in 2016, widespread outbreaks of circulating vaccinederived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) have occurred, which are linked to areas with low population immunity to poliovirus. Officials in Somalia have detected ongoing cVDPV2 transmission since 2017. Polio vaccination coverage and surveillance data for Somalia were reviewed to assess this persistent transmission. During January 2017--March 2024, officials in Somalia detected 39 cases of cVDPV2 in 14 of 20 regions, and transmission has spread to neighbouring Ethiopia and Kenya. Since January 2021, 28 supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) targeting cVDPV2 have been conducted in Somalia. Security in some parts of the country is compromised and inaccessible for vaccination campaigns. Of 1921 children with nonpolio acute flaccid paralysis (NPAFP), 231 (12%) had not received OPV doses through routine immunization (RI) or SIAs, 95% of whom were in the South--Central region and 60% of whom were in inaccessible districts. Humanitarian negotiation in Somalia to allow vaccination of children in security-compromised areas and to strengthen the quality of campaigns in accessible areas will help to interrupt cVDPV2 transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024