All data as of 01 June 2011                                                                Download: english ¦ french    

HEADLINES

World Health Assembly expresses concern over polio eradication funding gap: Delegates focused on the 'significant advances' against polio in 2010, noted that filling the funding gap of US$ 665 million for 2011-2012 was a global responsibility and called for strong national and sub-national leadership by political authorities for the implementation of polio eradication strategies. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Margaret Chan told the assembled Health Ministers of the world, "We have been encouraged by a 95% drop in cases in India and Nigeria. But the job is not yet finished and we must see this through to the end." Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was one of the keynote speakers at the Assembly. He reminded global health leaders that the long fight to end polio "demonstrates that technology is only as effective as the leaders delivering it." More
 
UN Secretary-General encourages Nigeria's State Governors: Ban Ki-moon told a meeting of the Governors' Forum in Abuja, Nigeria, "You have made tremendous progress [in] the past year. But if we let our guard down for a minute, polio can spring back. We cannot let this happen. Let us eradicate this crippling disease once and for all."

Polio goes to TED: The 'TED Talks' are well known for presenting "ideas worth spreading" – one of which is the incredible worldwide effort to eradicate polio. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General at WHO, spoke about the plan to continue the scientific miracle that ended polio in most of the world and to eradicate it everywhere, forever. His talk can now be viewed here.

Rotary International convention hears praise from Bill Gates: Recognizing the continued success in the effort to eradicate polio, Mr. Gates cautioned that Rotarians will need to redouble their efforts to finish the disease once and for all. More

India passes four months without polio: For the first time in recorded history, four months have passed in India without a single case of WPV. The most recent case had onset of paralysis on 13 January, 2011, in West Bengal in the east of the country (WPV1). The country has not seen a case due to wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3) in over six months (since 22 October 2010) and environmental sampling in Delhi and Mumbai has not detected any WPV since November last year. As the rainy season approaches, India continues to conduct polio vaccination campaigns to maintain high immunity.

Low-level WPV3 transmission continues in west Africa: The countries of west Africa are responding with renewed vigour to the threat of a WPV3 outbreak. During the World Health Assembly, delegates from the region expressed a firm commitment to polio eradication, and multi-country rounds are taking place to build resistance to the virus.

Heads of agencies follow up on IMB report: The heads of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative spearheading partner agencies and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation held a teleconference on 6 May to discuss the report of the GPEI Independent Monitoring Board (IMB). The group welcomed the IMB’s frank assessment and concrete recommendations; discussion centred on joint and agency-specific follow-up. A similar teleconference will take place two weeks after each IMB report is released. The next IMB meeting is scheduled for 30 June-1 July in London.

Research proposals sought: The Polio Research Committee (PRC) is soliciting research proposals. The PRC is particularly interested in research proposals to evaluate and further sensitise operational approaches (both to improve quality of supplementary immunization activities and surveillance), and proposals to further improve mucosal immunity. For a more in-depth overview of research proposals sought, and procedures for submission of proposals, please visit here.

Heads of G8 reaffirm commitment to polio-free world: G8 leaders unanimously re-affirmed their commitment to polio eradication at this year's G8 Summit in Deauville, France, on 26-27 May: "We stress our continuing commitment to the eradication of polio. Our past support has contributed to the 99% decrease of polio cases in the developing countries. We flag the need for a special focus on this issue and renewed momentum. To this end, we will continue to support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)." G8 countries have historically been the most important donor base to the GPEI, though several G8 countries have decreased their funding in recent years. The group's strengthened support, if operationalized, will be critical to urgently fill a global funding gap of US$ 665 million through 2012. In its April 2011, the IMB had called this funding gap the 'single greatest threat to the GPEI's success'. More. 
  

ENDEMIC COUNTRIES

AFGHANISTAN

• The country's second case for the year was reported in late May. This case was found to be genetically linked to WPV last found circulating in nearby Balochistan, Pakistan, in the fourth quarter of 2010. 
• A mission led by Ministry of Public Health and including WHO and UNICEF visited Zabul province on 28 May in efforts to help address access problem during recent SIAs. Meanwhile, access to previously high-risk areas of Southern Region continues to improve.
• The Minister of Public Health has been invited to attend the next meeting of the IMB, along with WHO and UNICEF country staff.

INDIA

• The national government and the state government of Bihar have agreed to set up immunization stations at 11 key railway stations and popular crossing sites on the border of India and Nepal. These sites will be open and providing polio vaccination every day for the rest of the year. Children moving through Bihar to other parts of the country will be vaccinated, helping to prevent spread of the virus. 
• On 21 April, environmental sampling started at three sites in Patna city in the state of Bihar, India, as a supplementary tool to detect poliovirus transmission. Current environmental surveillance sites in India include three in Mumbai and six in Delhi – none of which has detected any WPV since November 2010. There are plans to set up environmental sampling also in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal.
  
• A Regional Review Meeting of the northern region took place in mid-May involving surveillance medical officers, sub-regional and regional team leaders. The meeting examined the ongoing improvements in Delhi and identified further improvements in supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) and surveillance needed for Punjab and Haryana.
  
• Elections in West Bengal have resulted in a change of the state government - a historic change of ruling party after 34 years. New Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee holds the Health portfolio. 
  
• Treating the single case this year as an emergency, the union and state governments concentrated their efforts on the mop-ups in West Bengal, with a wide range of communication activities to ensure that every child was vaccinated. Kolkata Knightriders cricketers Yusuf Pathan, Brett Lee and Wasim Akram immunized children with OPV during the May SNIDs, generating extensive media coverage in West Bengal. A joint appeal by state chapters of the two leading medical associations, the Indian Academy of Paediatrics and the Indian Medical Association, was launched in Bengali language newspapers, on the importance of polio immunizations. More (pdf).

NIGERIA

• On 5 May, a core group meeting of government, senior partners and donors reviewed the status of polio eradication activities. Despite the elections, which disrupted travel and security in some areas, Nigeria has continued advocacy with traditional and religious leaders in the high risk states, updated mop-up guidelines, prepared a new draft strategy for mobile populations and completed surveillance desk reviews at national and state levels.
  
• A rapid assessment survey to evaluate surveillance performance has just been completed in Kebbi State and two additional surveys are ongoing in Kano and Katsina States. Reports are yet to be released.
  
• National Immunization Coverage Survey results for 2010 show that the proportion of fully immunized children has tripled in Nigeria since 2006, in tandem with the intensification of polio Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs).
  
• Social mobilization activities continue to be geared up. A communication 'boot camp' was organized by UNICEF on 24-25 May in Kano, with representatives from the state and highest-risk Local Government Areas (LGAs), to action plan implementation of the 'Intensified Ward Communication Strategy'. Local cultural artists and media experts from across northern Nigeria are supporting the production of effective radio drama, jingles and songs. Key Muslim women's organizations such as FOMWAN (Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria) and Modibos continue to be engaged in Kebbi and Sokoto.   

PAKISTAN

• The WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr Hussein A Gezairy, and WHO Assistant Director-General Dr Bruce Aylward, travelled to Pakistan to assist the Government in assessing implementation of polio eradication activities. They attended the first meeting of the National Task Force on Polio Eradication, to be chaired by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.

• The 25 highest risk Union Councils (UCs) in Peshawar have been the focus of a special 'sweep' operation following the 9-11 May NIDs, during which more than 5,100 children were found unvaccinated. An extra vaccination round was held in these 25 UCs from 24-26 May.
• On 23 May, a high-level meeting chaired by the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was held to review polio eradication in FATA. Participants included the provincial health minister, the secretary of health and representatives of the prime minister's polio monitoring cell. The emphasis of the meeting was on introducing the Short Interval Additional Dose (SIAD) strategy and improving campaign quality and access; however it also gave the participants the opportunity to clarify roles under the new health framework. The meeting also discussed making improvements in campaign quality in accessible areas.
• The SIAD strategy was utilized to rapidly improve immunity in Bajour agency. A round was conducted on 2 May, followed by a second round on 9 May. While there was resistance from some parents who were concerned about their children receiving two doses in quick succession, the activity went well without disturbance. In the first round 197,805 children were vaccinated and 193,610 were vaccinated in the second. The rounds were supported by additional monitors, supervisors and lady health workers.  
  
  

RE-ESTABLISHED TRANSMISSION COUNTRIES

ANGOLA

• Angola carried out synchronized campaigns with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and the Republic of the Congo on 26-28 May.
  
• The country has set in motion a revised strategy for delivering supplementary immunization rounds based on Municipal and Communal oversight of activities. Early evidence through independent monitoring indicates improvements in SIA quality.
  
• The programme has carried out a risk assessment identifying 24 Municipalities as being at risk for either sustaining transmission or being re-infected. The most significant risk in Angola is continuation of WPV circulation within the country, in particular in Luanda and Benguela, but also in more sparsely populated areas of recent circulation from which it could return to these highly populated provinces. Continuing transmission in DR Congo poses the risk of re-introduction particularly into bordering areas including Cabinda. Population movement across borders is significant.  

CHAD

• The country has produced an updated emergency action plan for polio eradication, which will be presented to the IMB at their next meeting.
  
• In three districts of eastern Chad with recent polio cases, community gatherings were held 9-10 May to provide a space for open dialogue on the epidemic and the obstacles to polio eradication. Each forum brought together local authorities, religious leaders, women and youth groups, as well as other influential personalities. In addition to addressing families' concerns about vaccination, such gatherings present an opportunity to source local solutions to local problems. For example, micro-plans to reach every child were developed with all the operational heads of settlements and the representatives of nomads. The dialogue also helped to identify villages and settlements that have not been covered by vaccination campaigns. More 
  
• Technical support is being scaled up to support the country's eradication efforts, including through seven STOP professionals being deployed to the country.
  
• In order to enhance the visibility and profile of the May NIDs, UNICEF Chad organized the 'Deux Gouttes: Stop Polio' concert ('Two Drops, Stop Polio'), which took place on 14 May in the largest public events venue in N'Djamena. The concert brought together some Chad's most prominent artists from various cultural backgrounds, to raise awareness of polio eradication efforts.  

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC)

• DR Congo held a synchronized campaign with Angola on 26-28 May. Inaugurating the campaigns, the Minister of Public Health stated the government's commitment to "protecting by vaccination every child on Congolese soil from polio." He called on governors and other provincial and district officials to ensure that every child was vaccinated.  
   

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IMPORTATION COUNTRIES

REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND GABON

• The Republic of the Congo is planning to hold SNIDs as part of a synchronised round with Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia and Zambia in June.    

HORN OF AFRICA  

• Given the genetic link with a positive environmental sample found in Egypt, Sudan is carrying out several rounds to help stop any undetected transmission. Trivalent OPV was added to a measles campaign in Northern Darfur, Western Darfur and Southern Darfur states held from 14 May, and SNIDs using bivalent OPV are planned for Northern, Red Sea, Khartoum and Nile States to be held from 20 June. 
  
• The Horn of Africa Technical Advisory Group (TAG), met in Nairobi on 4-5 May. Among other recommendations, the TAG called for a Horn of Africa Coordination Meeting to be held every four months to identify key cross-border and cross-population issues for polio eradication, to be followed by cross-border meetings at local levels in key areas. The TAG also recommended that polio implementing partners should conduct integrated risk analyses every six months, that any new polio case should trigger immediate, large-scale mop-up vaccination campaigns, that all countries in the region should develop effective plans to reach migrant and mobile populations, and that all countries should continue to use every opportunity to provide OPV to children, including during any Child Health Days (CHDs) and measles campaigns. A key concern raised by the TAG was surveillance quality - the TAG therefore recommended that all countries either develop, or review and update, a 6-month action plan for strengthening surveillance.
  
• On 9-11 May, Ministry of Health, UNICEF and WHO communications teams from 21 countries in eastern and southern Africa convened in Nairobi to look at how to more effective address the demand side issues relating to immunization. UNICEF Regional Director for the Eastern and Southern Region, Elhaji As Sy, opened the meeting, highlighting the importance of immunization. Participants discussed the importance of further sensitising strategies to guide communications planning, particularly for reaching un-reached populations. 
  
• Due to worsening security conditions, access negotiations continue in large parts of southern and central Somalia so that children can be reached with vaccine. 

WEST AFRICA  

• Late in May, Burkina Faso reported its first polio case since 2009. 
  
• The countries of west Africa are responding to the threat of an outbreak of wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3) with renewed vigour. During the World Health Assembly, delegates from the region expressed a firm commitment to polio eradication, and further multi-country rounds are taking place to build resistance to the virus.