POLIO PLUS UPDATE

Africa - It has been over 9 months since the last Polio case was reported in Somalia,  almost 10 months for Nigeria, and over 10 months for Cameroon.  If Nigeria can go 12 months with quality surveillance detecting no Wild Polio Virus, they will join the countries which have stopped Polio transmission.  And if after an additional two years, no Wild Polio Virus has been detected, Nigeria could be certified as Polio - Free!

Liberia and Sierra Leone have both conducted Polio and Measles vaccination campaigns during April and May.  These are the first campaigns conducted in these countries since 2013 (due to the Ebola outbreak).  Polio staff in these countries continue to assist in the Ebola outbreak response efforts    
 
Pakistan - One new Polio case were reported in Pakistan this past week.  A new environmental sample this week from Quetta, Balochistan and Lahore tested positive for the Wild Polio Type 1 Virus.
 
The Final Three Endemic Countries:
 
Pakistan - 23 Polio cases reported in 2015 with 306 cases recorded in 2014  The most recent case was reported on 04/20/15 in the Khyber, FATA.    
Afghanistan - One Polio case reported in 2015 with 28 cases recorded in 2014. The most recent case was reported on 01/21/15 from the Hilmand Province.   
Nigeria - Zero Polio cases reported in 2015 with 6 cases recorded in 2014.  The most recent case was reported on 7/24/14.