Progress Toward Poliomyelitis Eradication - Nigeria, January 2018-May 2019

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019 Jul 26;68(29):642-646. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6829a3.

Abstract

The number of wild poliovirus (WPV) cases in Nigeria decreased from 1,122 in 2006 to six WPV type 1 (WPV1) in 2014 (1). During August 2014-July 2016, no WPV cases were detected; during August-September 2016, four cases were reported in Borno State. An insurgency in northeastern Nigeria had resulted in 468,800 children aged <5 years deprived of health services in Borno by 2016. Military activities in mid-2016 freed isolated families to travel to camps, where the four WPV1 cases were detected. Oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) campaigns were intensified during August 2016-December 2017; since October 2016, no WPV has been detected (2). Vaccination activities in insurgent-held areas are conducted by security forces; however, 60,000 unvaccinated children remain in unreached settlements. Since 2018, circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) has emerged and spread from Nigeria to Niger and Cameroon; outbreak responses to date have not interrupted transmission. This report describes progress in Nigeria polio eradication activities during January 2018-May 2019 and updates the previous report (2). Interruption of cVDPV2 transmission in Nigeria will need increased efforts to improve campaign quality and include insurgent-held areas. Progress in surveillance and immunization activities will continue to be reviewed, potentially allowing certification of interruption of WPV transmission in Africa in 2020.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Disease Eradication*
  • Disease Outbreaks / prevention & control*
  • Disease Outbreaks / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Immunization Programs
  • Infant
  • Nigeria / epidemiology
  • Poliomyelitis / epidemiology
  • Poliomyelitis / prevention & control*
  • Poliovirus / genetics
  • Poliovirus / isolation & purification
  • Poliovirus Vaccines / administration & dosage
  • Population Surveillance*
  • Program Evaluation
  • Serogroup
  • Violence

Substances

  • Poliovirus Vaccines