Zim records 22 cumulative Polio cases since last y...

Zim records 22 cumulative Polio cases since last year

Audrey Galawu

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Zimbabwe has to date recorded 22 circulating cases of Poliovirus type 2 since last with Unicef warning of the high risk of the disease spreading within the country and neighbouring countries.

Of the 22 cases, 17 were reported last year while the other five have been reported this year.

Between April 14 and 19, three new acute flaccid paralysis cases, (97 cumulative cases since 2024) were reported with a non-polio acute flaccid paralysis rate at 3.8% children over 15 years.

In a report Polio response situation report covering April 13 to April 26, Unicef reported that one new Cvdpv2 has been reported from environmental sites in Harare and no new VDP2 cases reported in the last reporting period from March 15 to April 12.

“The risk of poliovirus spreading within the country and neighbouring countries remains high.

Populations along borders, cross border traders, artisanal miners and populations in emerging peri-urban programme are at risk,” reads the report.

The cvdpv2 outbreak was declared a public health emergency by the Minister of Health and Child Care in October 2023.

Polio outbreak response activities commenced with plans to conduct two rounds of supplementary immunisation activities using novel oral poliomyelitis vaccine type 2 in February and March reaching 4.6 million and 4.8 million children under 10 years of age respectively.

Zimbabwe has been polio-free since 2005 with the last case having been reported in 1986.