Horn of Africa polio outbreak tops 200 cases: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported today that the polio (WPV-1) outbreak on the Horn of Africa has jumped to 208 cases, according to the latest Global Alert and Response published Oct. 1.
Somalia is currently reporting 191 cases, while Kenya has 14 and Ethiopia is reporting three.
This total is up from 191 total on Sept. 25.
In addition, as previously reported on The Global Dispatch, three suspected cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) from South Sudan are currently being investigated.
The WHO says the three young female patients all had previously been immunized with oral polio vaccine (OPV).
Because of the routes of poliovirus spread in previous Horn of Africa outbreaks, South Sudan had been considered at high risk of re-infection.
Immunization rates in neighboring Sudan and Uganda are also being assessed to determine overall population immunity levels.
The current Horn of Africa polio outbreak began in April with the first case seen in Somalia since 2007.
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[…] An amazing feat for a country who saw more than 100 cases just 3 short years ago and is located on a continent which saw an outbreak on the Horn of Africa that tallied in the hundreds in 2013. […]
[…] Horn of Africa polio outbreak tops 200 cases: WHO – The Global Dispatch […]