Vaccine-derived poliovirus detected in Burundi, Congo

JOHANNESBURG/LONDON – Health officers in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have detected circumstances of vaccine-derived poliovirus, the World Health Organization and Global Polio Eradication Initiative mentioned.

The WHO mentioned the Burundian authorities had declared the detection of the virus a nationwide public well being emergency, after circumstances have been confirmed in an unvaccinated four-year-old boy in Isale district in western Burundi and two different youngsters who have been his contacts.

Five different samples from environmental surveillance of wastewater confirmed the presence of circulating poliovirus kind 2 in Burundi, the WHO added in a press release.

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A brand is pictured on the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, December 14, 2022. (Reuters/Denis Balibouse)

Circulating poliovirus kind 2 is completely different to wild poliovirus, with infections occurring when a weakened pressure of poliovirus contained within the oral polio vaccine circulates amongst under-immunized populations for lengthy intervals.

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The detections are important as they’re the primary linked with the usage of a brand new vaccine, the novel oral poliomyelitis vaccine kind 2 (nOPV2), which was developed particularly to cut back this threat.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) mentioned in a press release that circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus kind 2 was present in six youngsters within the DRC’s jap Tanganyika and South Kivu provinces.

Burundi plans to conduct a polio vaccination marketing campaign within the coming weeks for all eligible youngsters aged as much as 7 years with assist from the WHO and GPEI, the WHO mentioned.

“While detection of those outbreaks is a tragedy for the household and communities affected, it’s not sudden with wider use of the vaccine,” mentioned the GPEI, a partnership made up of the WHO, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and different international well being our bodies.

It mentioned 600 million doses of the brand new vaccine had been administered in 28 nations since March 2021, and reiterated that the vaccine was secure and efficient.

The DRC has scheduled a vaccination marketing campaign for April, the GPEI mentioned.