Malawi Discovers The First Case Of Polio In Africa In Almost 5 Years

Malawian health officials have declared a polio epidemic after a case was discovered in a small kid in the capital, Lilongwe, the first in Africa in over five years.

According to a statement released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday, laboratory examination revealed that the strain found in Malawi was linked to one that has been circulating in Pakistan, where it is still prevalent.

“As an imported case from Pakistan, this detection does not affect the African region’s wild poliovirus-free certification status,” the WHO said.

The WHO stated the African continent could launch a rapid response because of a high level of polio surveillance.

“The last case of wild poliovirus in Africa was identified in northern Nigeria in 2016 and globally there were only five cases in 2021,” said Modjirom Ndoutabe, polio coordinator in the WHO’s regional office for Africa.

“Any case of wild poliovirus is a significant event and we will mobilise all resources to support the country’s response,” Ndoutabe added.

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Polio is a highly contagious disease that attacks the nerve system and can cause complete paralysis in as little as 24 hours.

The WHO stated that while there is no cure for polio, it can be prevented through vaccination.

According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the instance in the southern African country included a three-year-old child who became paralyzed in November of last year.

The virus was verified as type 1 wild poliovirus after sequencing by South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in February (WPV1).

“Detection of WPV1 outside the world’s two remaining endemic countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, is a serious concern and underscores the importance of prioritising polio immunisation activities,” the Global Polio Eradication Initiative said.