Health Alerts

News this week that after a four-year interval, an environmental sample of vaccine-derived poliovirus infection (type 2) has been detected in Mada, in the Far North region. Further testing has confirmed the virus is ‘linked to the ongoing cVDPV2 strain circulating in neighbouring Nigeria, which originated in Jigawa State’ and also spread across the border into Niger. No cases of acute flaccid paralysis have been identified with the virus’ detection in Mada.

A WHO emergency committee has advised that the current situation regarding wild poliovirus (‘progress made in recent years appears to be reversing’) and cVDPV (‘newly emerged strains of cVDPV2 in Nigeria and DR Congo, and the increased number of infected states / provinces in these two countries, together with evidence of missed transmission in Nigeria, Somalia and Indonesia also suggests the risk of international spread of cVDPV, especially type 2, is rising‘) continue to justify the IHR’s Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) provision for a further three months. Read more.