The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed fears of fresh transmission of new wild poliovirus (WPV1) cases due to gaps in surveillance and suboptimal coverage in immunisation campaigns.

The fears are expressed in a statement issued at the weekend after WHO’s 35th Emergency Committee meeting which reviewed data on WPV1 as the world targets to eradicate the virus by end of 2023.

Capital Hill has since said it will implement two more rounds of polio vaccinations while continuing surveillance efforts in a bid to ensure that the disease is dealt with.

Chikumbe: We will continue with surveillance

Malawi has since February 17 2022 registered two local cases, one in Lilongwe and another in Blantyre, of WPV1 and three others imported through Phalombe, Mwanza and Mulanje through children that came to Malawi for medical assistance.

Reads the WHO statement: “The committee noted that GPEI [Global Polio Eradication Initiative] outbreak response assessments which were conducted in October in Malawi and in November in Mozambique to review progress concluded that ongoing transmission could not be ruled out in either country, due to gaps in polio surveillance and suboptimal coverage in immunisation campaigns.

“Based on Lot Quality Assurance Sampling, campaign quality was less than the target 90 percent in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe in the recent round.”

In dealing with the situation, the WHO has since urged Malawi and other countries affected to ensure that all residents and long-term visitors (below four weeks) of all ages receive a dose of bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine.

“Further intensify cross border efforts by significantly improving coordination at the national, regional and local levels to substantially increase vaccination coverage of travelers crossing the border and of high risk cross border populations,” it urges.

Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe in an interview yesterday said the ministry will intensify its efforts in surveillance of the disease to curb its further spread.

He said: “We still continue with the surveillance. For any child presenting at a facility with acute flaccid paralysis, we do assessments. We are also surveying assessments in sewages and after it is discovered, we take samples people round the area.”

Since the start of the vaccination drive, about nine million children in Malawi have received a polio vaccination, according to United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

The WPV1 in Malawi and Mozambique originated from Pakistan, one of the last two endemic countries.

According to WHO, 19 vaccination rounds were concluded in the most at-risk areas in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022. At least five more are planned for 2023 in five countries.

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