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Efforts needed to eradicate polio in Nigeria
Hercules M. MMWR. 2011;60:1053-1057.
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Despite substantial progress in poliovirus transmission, increased immunization and surveillance efforts are needed in Nigeria to meet the goal of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative by 2012, according to CDC officials.
“Among the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, [wild poliovirus (WPV)] transmission has persisted in eight northern states considered at high-risk; in addition, four other northern states have been considered at high-risk for WPV transmission,” CDC officials wrote in this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. “In these 12 high-risk states, type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2) transmission also was observed during 2005 and 2011.”
WPV cases decreased significantly in Nigeria between 2009 and 2010 (388 vs. 21) and cVDPV2 cases decreased from 154 in 2009 to 27 in 2010. However, CDC officials observed an increase in both viruses as of July 26.
Compared with six cases of WPV and 10 cases of cVDPV2 between January and June 2010, Nigeria reported 24 WPV cases and 11 cVDPV2 cases between January and June 2011.
Of the 45 WPV and 38 cVDPV2 total cases reported between January 2010 and June 2011, 70% and 69% of cases occurred in children aged younger than 3 years.
“This increase in cases indicates that immunization and surveillance activities will need to be enhanced further to interrupt WPV transmission in Nigeria by the end of 2011,” Margaret Hercules, MPH, BSN, public health advisor of the Global Immunization Division at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases of the CDC, told Infectious Disease News. “The focus should be on improving the quality of the immunization and surveillance activities as recommended.”
In an accompanying editorial, CDC officials wrote: “Despite ongoing progress, the continued circulation of WPV and cVDPV2 during 2011 in six states and evidence of limitations in AFP surveillance indicate that substantial further improvements are needed in the quality of implementation of both surveillance and immunization activities to interrupt transmission by the end of 2011.” – by Ashley DeNyse
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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