Somalia Records Its First Wild Polio Case Since 2007

Mogadishu May 13, 2013 (SDN) –A 32-month old girl living near Mogadishu was recently paralyzed by wild polio virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on 11 May. It is Somalia’s first case caused by wild polio virus since March 2007. Polio immunization campaigns have not occurred in some central and southern parts of the strife-torn nation since 2009. Beginning 14 May, the country plans to vaccinate 350,000 children living in the Banaadir region, where the infection occurred. A nation-wide immunization campaign is “under discussion,” according to WHO. Genetic testing to determine the virus’s origin is underway and should be complete this week, according to a WHO representative. Only Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria have never interrupted wild polio virus transmission, and until now those three countries were the only ones that had recorded wild polio viruses cases in 2013 — 26 versus 53 this time last year. Chad and Niger recorded wild polio infections in 2012. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s rugged North Waziristan region recorded its first polio case since local Taliban leaders halted vaccinations there last year. The ban was a response to US drone strikes in the mountainous region. (see Taliban halts polio vaccination over drone strikes). The infection was caused by a vaccine-derived strain of polio virus. The vaccine can cause polio when its strains mutate into pathogenic forms, but this occurs only in extremely rare cases in populations where immunity is low.

Source: WHO