Polio News!!!

Pakistan - No new Polio cases reported this week.  Eighteen Polio cases reported in 2016 with 54 cases recorded in 2015  The most recent case, with the onset of paralysis on 11/03/16 was from the Sujawal, Sundh Southwest of Karachi.  Two new Polio-positive environmental samples were collected last week.  The two positive samples were reported from Peshwar, Khyber Pakthunkwa and Multan, southern Punjab.  A total of 50 environmental samples have tested positive in Pakistan in 2016.

     

Afghanistan - No new Polio cases reported this week.  Twelve Polio cases reported in 2016 with 20 cases recorded in 2015. The most recent cases, with an onset of paralysis on 09/28/16 was from Paktika - near the Pakistan border. No new Polio-positive environmental samples have been collected in Afghanistan in 2016.    
 
Nigeria - No new Polio cases reported this week.   Four Polio cases reported in 2016 - with no cases reported in 2015.  The most recent case was reported on 8/2016 on Borno State.

After the final Polio case is recorded, it will take three years to ensure that the Polio Virus has been eradicated.  The recent cases in Nigeria, after two years without a recognized Polio case, are a reminder of the need to continue high quality surveillance and immunization campaigns for three years after the last case is identified.  We will need to continue immunizing (and funding those immunizations) worldwide, which is estimated to cost $1.5 billion for the three years.