Malawi is currently investigating 17 suspected cases of polio, raising concerns despite a successful vaccination campaign that saw over 90% of the country's children inoculated against the virus, The Guardian reports on July 19.
The investigation comes in the wake of Cyclone Freddy, a long-lasting tropical cyclone that hit Malawi in March, resulting in numerous deaths and displacements. Health authorities fear that the destruction of sanitation facilities caused by the cyclone may have contributed to the spread of the virus, especially among vulnerable populations such as newborns.
Malawi has been conducting vaccination efforts since last year after recording its first wild polio case in 30 years, and the first in Africa since the region was certified as free of indigenous wild polio in 2020. While two variants of the wild poliovirus have been eradicated (WPV2 and WPV3), WPV1 remains endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan. There is also a rare vaccine-derived poliovirus, which is a variant of the weakened poliovirus found in the oral polio vaccine.
Adrian Chikumbe, a spokesperson for Malawi's Ministry of Health, stated that the new cases have not been confirmed as polio, emphasising that further investigations and laboratory tests are needed to determine the cause. The ministry has been monitoring cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), a syndrome characterised by sudden onset weakness or paralysis with reduced muscle tone in children. AFP can be caused by various factors, including polio.
Chikumbe highlighted that a recent vaccination campaign successfully reached over 8 million children, representing 90.7% of the country's under-15 population. However, Professor Adamson Muula, a public health and epidemiology expert, stressed the importance of promptly investigating the new cases, including determining whether the affected individuals had received the vaccine.
Muula explained that contaminated water or food can contribute to the spread of polio, similar to cholera. Given the compromised sanitation infrastructure and water shortages resulting from Cyclone Freddy, the transmission of the virus could be facilitated. However, a conclusive determination of whether the cases are indeed polio requires further analysis of collected samples.
Earlier this year, Malawi launched a nationwide integrated vaccination campaign supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the WHO, Unicef, and TyVAC. The campaign aimed to provide vaccines for typhoid fever, measles, rubella, and polio, along with a vitamin A supplement. The introduction of the typhoid conjugate vaccine into Malawi's routine vaccination program further demonstrates the country's commitment to disease prevention and control.
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