Somalia and Ethiopia record more polio cases, outbreak total now at 197

Global Dispatch
Saturday, October 19, 2013

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The number of polio cases in the Horn of Africa outbreak has risen by six as both Somalia and Ethiopia recorded new cases.

Somalia reported four new cases, while Ethiopia reported two. The current situation on the Horn of Africa is now 197 cases (174 from Somalia, 14 from Kenya, six from Ethiopia and three from South Sudan).

This weeks update follows a week where no new cases were reported.

According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the outbreak response across the Horn of Africa is continuing. As a result of concerted outbreak response efforts, the impact of the response is beginning to be seen, as the number of newly-reported cases from Banadir, Somalia (the epicentre of the outbreak) has declined.

At the same time, operations are improving as more children are being reached, including in some inaccessible areas of south-central Somalia. However, more needs to be done, because as many as 500,000 children still remain inaccessible in parts of south-central Somalia and other areas of the Horn of Africa remain at risk of re-infection.

In addition to the outbreak cases, two of the polio endemic countries reported new cases this week.

Afghanistan reported one new wild poliovirus-1 (WPV1) case in the past week. The total number of WPV cases for 2013 is now seven (all WPV1), all of which were reported from Eastern Region, close to the Pakistan border.

Pakistan reported four new WPV1 cases in the past week. All were reported from FATA (two from Khyber Agency and two from North Waziristan). The total number of WPV1 cases for Pakistan in 2013 is now 43.

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