New Polio Cases Confirmed

According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), five counties reported new cases involving vaccine-derived poliovirus types.

The GPEI's latest weekly update confirmed Angola reported its second circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case of 2024, and Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Niger, and Nigeria also reported cVDPV2 cases as of May 29, 2024

Additionally, the DRC reported two more cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed in April 2024 that the spread of the poliovirus remained a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and recommended its extension through July 2024 to reduce the risk of the international spread of poliovirus outbreaks.

In May 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an updated Global Polio Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions Travel Health Notice regarding polio outbreaks and poliovirus detections in 34 countries. 

The African country Angola recently reported two cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP). These AFP cases are the first in Angola since the 2019-2020 polio outbreak, which recorded 124 cases.

Furthermore, 36 potential AFP cases are awaiting classification, which may or may not be related to the polio virus.

As of June 2024, both the WHO and CDC recommend polio vaccinations and booster doses for under-immunized people visiting outbreak areas.

In the U.S., IPV vaccines have been offered since 2000, and over 1 billion nOPV2 vaccine doses have been offered in African countries.