Polio this week as of 30 March 2022

Headlines

• On 21 March, the Federal Government of Somalia, World Health Organization (WHO) and members of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) recommitted to stopping the ongoing outbreak of circulating poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in Somalia at a three-day meeting convened in Nairobi, Kenya. Details of the summit are available here.

• Revised containment guidance (GAPIII) available for public consultation: On recommendation from the Containment Advisory Group (CAG), and through wide engagement of stakeholders, WHO’s Global Action Plan for Poliovirus Containment (GAPIII, 2015) has been revised. Following a period of critical review by the CAG, the document draft is now available for public consultation until 1 May 2022. Revisions to the guidance have been made based on CAG recommendations, review of relevant bio-risk management documents to determine alignment, scientific evidence and solicited stakeholder comments on various sections. WHO encourages feedback from containment stakeholders. For queries, please email: containment@who.int

• Summary of new WPV and cVDPV this week (AFP cases and ES positives):
  – DR Congo: six cVDPV2 cases
  – Egypt: two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
  – Nigeria: three cVDPV2 cases and two positive environmental samples
  – Yemen: 16 cVDPV2 cases