Mozambique reported its first case of wild poliovirus type 1 in three decades on Wednesday.
The African continent was declared free of wild poliovirus in 2020, but this is the second case of the disease reported on the continent since February. The first was reported in neighboring Malawi.
Malawi reports the first case of wild polio in Africa in over 5 years
The case is linked to a strain of the virus circulating in Pakistan.
The two cases are linked to a strain circulating in Pakistan — one of the two countries in the world that still have endemic wild poliovirus — indicating the virus was initially imported through a traveler. Because of this, Africa is still considered wild poliovirus-free.
Beyond these two cases, African countries still have outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 — a different category of the virus that spreads through environmental contamination in populations with low immunity.
Health emergency: “It's a big concern because this is wild polio — it is not vaccine-derived polio. And being wild polio, it means it was introduced into that community from somewhere else,” said Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, acting director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, during a press briefing Thursday. “If you see neighboring countries starting to show signs of wild polio, then it means that there is a leakage in the surveillance system.”
“Any case of wild polio is a public health emergency of international concern,” he added. Polio has no cure and can cause permanent paralysis.
Broad vaccinations: In response to the first case, health authorities in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have taken up large-scale vaccination campaigns. The authorities aim to reach 23 million children by the end of August.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions to routine immunization campaigns, which include polio vaccines. Widespread food insecurity on the continent also plays a role in its spread, according to Ouma, as it weakens the immune systems of children.
About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
