WHO says Malawi polio case imported

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the newly recorded Wild Polio Virus (WPV) case in Malawi was imported.
The WHO Regional Immunisation Advisor for Africa, Richard Mihigo, made this known on Thursday while addressing journalists at Area 2 Primary Health Care (PHC) centre in Abuja.
Mr Mihigo said Polio is not an indigenous virus that was circulating in the country at the time.
He said the imported case was promptly detected due to good quality surveillance system in the country.
He noted that effective routine immunisation has prevented the country from experiencing polio outbreak for many years.
“It is important to highlight that the last case of wild poliovirus in Malawi was in 1992, almost 30 years ago. So they have maintained a very good routine immunisation,” he said.
He said WHO has data in place that is being analysed in the laboratory to find out more about the imported case.
Malawi recently declared an outbreak of polio after a young child in the country’s capital, Lilongwe, developed the disease in the first case of polio in Africa in more than five years.
A statement issued by WHO shortly after the case was detected, linked the strain found in the child to one circulating in Pakistan where the virus remains endemic.

Polio Virus
Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children.

It is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, through contaminated water or food and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis.
Africa was certified polio free in August 2020 following the elimination of the virus in Nigeria. Nigeria was the last African country to eliminate the virus which can be prevented with adequate vaccination.
WHO said the new case did not affect Africa’s status of being polio-free.
Quality survelliance
Mr Mihigo, who is one of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) team to Nigeria, said they were in the country to assess the progress on the implementation of routine immunisation, Polio, and also the progress on COVID-19 vaccination.
He said it is important for the African continent to improve its quality surveillance systems to prevent another outbreak.

He noted that the case in Malawi raises concerns that the virus could reemerge in the region.
He said: “This is also a good illustration of a good quality surveillance system, if improved, it can pick up any case, wherever it happens.

“It’s important that we continue to tighten the surveillance system, but also continue to increase coverage for routine immunisation so the new cohorts of children that are born are protected against any type of imported infection.”
More vaccination needed
Mr Mihigo, while speaking on their visit to the PHC, said they were impressed to see how functional the health care centre is.
“We have seen people coming to receive their COVID-19 vaccination, what is so heartwarming is that many parents also brought their children to receive routine vaccination.
“So I think this is really something we are congratulating the government of Nigeria for and we hope that this will continue to increase people’s confidence not only for routine immunisation, but also to make sure that the numbers for COVID-19 vaccination are improving,” he said.
In her remarks, an independent board member of Gavi, Helen Rees, said one of the most powerful tools known to protect children from various diseases is vaccination.
Ms Rees said Gavi is supporting the Nigerian government to increase routine immunisation for children.Advertisements
“These childhood diseases and some of the commonest killers here we understand are diarrhea and pneumonia, and many of those deaths could be avoided, if we could improve on immunisation coverage,” she said.
In her remarks, Director, PHC Systems, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Nneka Onu, said the visit was part of activities of the high level Gavi mission in Nigeria.
Ms Onu said it was important that they see how people are getting vaccinated, and the quality of service integrated.

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