Malawi Announces New Poliovirus Detection
Secretary for Health and Sanitation Dan Namarika explained that the virus was uncovered through standard sewage monitoring carried out at two locations in Blantyre, the country’s main commercial hub.
Authorities from the ministry warned that the virus poses severe health dangers and may lead to permanent paralysis, particularly among children, much like the wild poliovirus.
“Following advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), the ministry is working around the clock to intensify measures to contain the outbreak, as we did in 2022. We therefore urge the general public to maintain food hygiene precautions to prevent the spread of the virus and to ensure that children are fully vaccinated,” said Namarika.
“We are putting in place plans to conduct supplementary immunization campaigns to protect children and prevent further transmission,” he said.
Malawi previously launched a nationwide polio response in 2022 after confirming cases of wild poliovirus type 1.
In February 2022, marking the first incident in three decades, the country declared a polio outbreak when a single case of wild poliovirus was identified in a 14-year-old child. From that point onward, no additional polio cases were reported until the current detection.
The United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, has continued to collaborate with the Malawian government in efforts to eradicate polio. Beyond securing 6.8 million doses of vaccines, UNICEF has also assisted in reinforcing the national immunization supply chain system.
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