It is the run up to International Women’s Day and we are excited to be highlighting some of the tremendous work that women have contributed in the fight against polio. Take a look at Dr Faten Kamel’s journey working against polio in different countries.
In May 2019, Iran reported an isolation of a wild poliovirus type1 in a sewage sample from Sistan & Balochistan province. The virus was confirmed to be genetically linked to the wild poliovirus from Karachi, Pakistan. This development, per existing global polio programmeguidelines, triggered opening of an ‘Event’. After months of consultations and a high level of poliovirus surveillance sensitivity, the event has now been declared closed therefore eliminating Iran from the list of outbreak countries.
Summary of new viruses this week (AFP cases and environmental samples):
- Afghanistan: two WPV1 cases
- Pakistan: four WPV1 cases, 16 WPV1 positive environmental samples and six cVDPV2 cases
- Somalia: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
- Angola: one cVDPV2 case and two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
- Chad: four cVDPV2 cases
- Côte d’Ivoire: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: two cVDPV2 cases
- Ethiopia: one cVDPV2 case
- Malaysia: three cVDPV1 positive environmental samples
