Select the search type
 
  • Site
Search
You are here: Infected countries > Democratic Republic of the Congo
print this page
  

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Status: re-established transmission

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, circulation of an imported wild poliovirus has persisted for more than 12 months, and the country is classified as having re-established transmission. In 2009, re-established polioviruses in Democratic Republic of the Congo re-infected other, previously polio-free countries and areas. The priority in Democratic Republic of the Congo is to enhance surveillance sensitivity to determine where the virus is continuing to circulate, and to continue large-scale supplementary immunization activities to sustain population immunity.

Financial resource requirements (2011-2013) for the Democratice Republic of the Congo.

Polio this week in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

  • No new cases were reported in the past week. No cases have been reported in 2012. The total number of cases for 2011 is 93 (all WPV1). The most recent case had onset of paralysis on 20 December in Maniema province.
  • However, the country continues to be affected by a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV type 2), with ten cases confirmed, all in Katanga province. The most recent cVDPV type 2 case had onset of paralysis on 22 February 2012.
  • Katanga has been affected by four separate cVDPV type 2 outbreaks since 2008, three of which have been successfully stopped. All areas affected by the current cVDPV type 2 have been covered by at least two immunization campaigns with trivalent OPV, and a third activity is now being planned for 31 May to 2 June.
  • However, recent analysis of the March activities identified some areas with poor vaccination coverage, including in some high-risk areas of Katanga. An analysis is ongoing to determine the real reasons for this gap (resistance, insecurity, managerial/operational challenges, or a combination of all). Outcomes of this analysis will help better prepare for upcoming immunization campaigns. 
  

News Stories and Press Releases for Democratic Republic of the Congo

  

Central Africa (Angola, DRC, Namibia and Zambia)

Technical Advisory Group on Polio Eradication in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia and Zambia,
03-05 March 2010, Luanda, Angola
Report [pdf 146kb]

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative © Copyright 2010