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In one followed by a report last week, the National Department of Health of Papua New Guinea and the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed today that the strain of poliovirus detected for the first time in a child of the province of Morobe in April now circulates in the same community.
The only confirmed case is a 6-year-old boy with lower limb weakness, first detected on April 28, 2018. A vaccine-derived type 1 poliovirus (VDPV1) was isolated as a cause of paralysis on May 21, 2018. .
On June 22, 2018, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the same virus was also isolated in stool samples from two healthy children in the same community. This means that the virus is circulating in the community – representing an epidemic of the virus.
"We are deeply concerned by this case of poliomyelitis in Papua New Guinea and by the fact that the virus is circulating," said Pascoe Kase, secretary of the National Department of Health (NDOH). "Our immediate priority is to respond and prevent more children from being infected.
The NDOH formally informed the WHO and worked with WHO and other partners to launch an answer. Some of the immediate measures include conducting large-scale vaccination campaigns and strengthening surveillance systems that help detect the virus early. These activities are also strengthened in neighboring provinces.
"Since the detection of poliovirus in April, WHO has been collaborating with the government on investigations, laboratory confirmation, enhanced surveillance and response activities," said Dr Luo Dapeng, the representative of WHO. WHO in Papua New Guinea. "We will continue to support the government to ensure the protection of children".
Papua New Guinea has not had wild poliovirus since 1996, and the country was certified polio-free in 2000 with the rest of the WHO Western Pacific Region.
In Morobe province, polio immunization coverage is low, with only 61% of children receiving the recommended 3 doses. Water, sanitation and hygiene are also challenges in the region.
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