New Polio Cases Confirmed in Five Countries

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported on September 2, 2021, new polio cases were confirmed last week in these countries:

• Ethiopia: two cVDPV2 cases
• Mali: one cVDPV2 case
• Nigeria: twenty-three cVDPV2 cases
• Sierra Leone: one cVDPV2 case
• Tajikistan: one cVDPV2 case

Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly disease that affects the nervous system, says the U.S. CDC. However, polio can be prevented with a vaccine.

The CDC says 'everyone should be fully vaccinated against poliovirus before any international travel.' And 'anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series.'

Since 2000, the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) is most often given in the USA. And, certain combination vaccines also protect against disease from Polio and include the three types of poliovirus: Type 1 (Mahoney), Type 2 (MEF-1), and Type 3 (Saukett).

Additionally, good hand washing practices can help prevent the spread of this disease.

Note: The Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched in 1988, with the CDC as a leading member.