ProMED-mail has posted a poliomyelitis update, and it makes discouraging reading. The moderator sums up the reports:
There have been 22 new cases reported since the last ProMED-mail update on 14 Jun 2013, raising the global total of confirmed cases from 55 to 77. Sadly, the majority of newly confirmed cases are in countries that had been previously polio free -- Somalia and Kenya. Cases continue to occur in the 3 remaining endemic countries -- Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, but fortunately at a lower rate.
The concerns about the possibility of expanded outbreaks occurring in other countries where wild poliovirus (WPV) transmission has been interrupted are real concerns. The continued occurrence of circulating vaccine derived poliovirus (cVDPV) cases serves as an indicator of suboptimal vaccination coverage in the areas, and these areas serve as foci where transmission of the WPV can continue.
Unfortunately, the 3 remaining endemic countries for WPV circulation, and Somalia, are all areas with civil unrest and violence against international agency staff as well as local staff working as vaccinators; this definitely hinders vaccination activities and impedes the necessary activities to eliminate the pockets of susceptible individuals.
