The government has officially acknowledged the emergence of a Type 2 poliovirus variant within the country, prompting the initiation of an urgent polio vaccination initiative.
Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Sleiman Timios Kwidini, addressed the press in Harare, stressing that the detection of these viruses, either in the environment or in individuals, signifies a polio outbreak.
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Kwidini stated, “The Ministry of Health and Child Care hereby notifies the public of the confirmation, through laboratory analysis, of the presence of a Type 2 circulating poliovirus variant in environmental samples collected at the conclusion of 2023 from sewage sites spanning Budiriro, Mbare, and Mufakose catchments in the Harare Metropolitan province.”
He further elaborated, “Moreover, as part of intensified poliomyelitis disease surveillance across the nation, a similar circulating poliovirus variant has been identified in a ten-year-old from Sanyati district, Mashonaland West province, who exhibited acute paralysis and subsequently underwent laboratory testing for confirmation.”
The heightened state of vigilance follows confirmed polio outbreaks in neighboring Mozambique and Malawi in 2022, prompting four rounds of vaccination administered between October 2022 and October 2023.
Kwidini clarified, “The virus detected on these occasions is a rare form of poliovirus that can arise when the attenuated live virus in the oral polio vaccine (OPV) undergoes mutation over time, gaining the ability to circulate within the community.
Consequently, it is categorised as circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus – type 2 (CVDPV).” He emphasised the necessity of a multi-sectoral approach to contain the disease’s spread.
In response to the outbreak, swift action has been taken by the ministry, including notifying the World Health Organization in compliance with international health regulations and implementing emergency response measures.
These measures encompass the activation of a polio incident management system, appointment of an incident manager for coordinated outbreak response, comprehensive investigations, intensified polio surveillance nationwide, and planning for emergency nationwide polio vaccination campaigns to swiftly halt transmission.
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Kwidini announced the launch of the second round of the emergency national polio vaccination campaign, targeting children under 10 years of age, scheduled for the current and subsequent months.
He highlighted, “The ministry’s detailed polio risk analysis identified the under-10 age group as particularly vulnerable to these Type 2 polioviruses, as vaccines targeting this strain were globally discontinued in 2015 following its eradication.”
He concluded, “In the planned vaccination campaign, all children under 10 years old will receive two initial rounds of novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV2) to promptly enhance their immunity against this strain of poliovirus.”
