Polio in Dr Congo

DR Congo: Polio Outbreak - Feb 2018Ongoing
Glide: EP-2018-000104-COD
Overview

On 13 February 2018, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared the ongoing outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus in the country a national public health emergency. A total of 21 children presenting with typical acute accid paralysis (AFP) tested positive for vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cPVDV2) at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), South Africa. The outbreak has been ongoing since February 2017 and the date of onset of paralysis in the last case was 3 December 2017. Three provinces have been affected, namely Haut-Lomami (8 cases), Maniema (2 cases) and Tanganyika (11 cases). The confirmed cases are distributed across seven health zones in the three provinces Haut-Lomami [Mukanga (3 cases), Butumba (2 cases), Lwamba (2 cases) and Malemba Nkulu (1 case)], Maniema Province [Kunda (2 cases)] and Tanganyika Province [Ankoro (7 cases) and Manono (4 cases). The [DRC] has not reported wild poliovirus in the last seven years. The country reported the last case of wild polio virus on 20 December 2011, when a single case was confirmed in the Lusangl Health Zone in Maniema Province. (WHO, 16 Feb 2018)

The anti-polio campaigns, scheduled for 26-28 April and 10 -12 May 2018, are targeting 1,531,321 children aged 0 to 59 months in 34 health zones of 4 provinces [-] Haut-Katanga, Lomami, Haut-Lomami and Tanganyika provinces, and the DRC RC intends to contribute in 3 of the 4 provinces, namely Haut-Lomami, Lomami and Tanganyika provinces. (IFRC, 23 Apr 2018)

Three new cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) were reported in the past week in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). One in Mongala province with onset on 26 April, a second one in Ituri province with onset on 5 May and a third one in Haut Katanga with onset on 14 May. The total number of officially reported cVDPV2 cases in the DRC in 2018 is 7. (Global Polio Eradication Initiative, 26 Jun 2018)

The latest case of cVDPV2 was reported from Gethy Zone, Ituri Province, from an AFP case with onset of paralysis on 5 May 2018. As of 29 June 2018, a total of 28 cases with onest in 2017 (22 cases) and 2018 (6 cases) have been confirmed. Six provinces have been affected, namely Haut-Lomami (9 cases), Maniema (2 cases), Tanganyika (14 cases), Haut Katanga (1 case), Mongala (1 case), and Ituri (1 case). The outbreak has been ongoing since February 2017. A public health emergency was officially declared by the Ministry of Health on 13 February 2018 when samples from 21 cases of acute flaccid paralysis were confirmed retrospectively for vaccine derived polio virus type 2. (WHO, 6 Jul 2018)
Source:   https://reliefweb.int/disaster/ep-2018-000104-cod