Sudan’s outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) has been successfully stopped, according to experts from WHO, UNICEF and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Declared in 15 out of 18 states, the outbreak was caused by a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2) strain imported from Chad, leaving 58 children paralysed.
Sunday’s announcement comes after virtual and in-country reviews of Sudan’s response to the outbreak and its surveillance system by a team of experts in polio eradication, global public health, epidemiology, and vaccine management.
The final Outbreak Response Assessment, held between 24 July and 1 August 2022, included interviews and reviews of reports and records with surveillance and immunization staff at state, locality, and health facility levels.
The WHO said findings from the assessment, coupled with the absence of the cVDPV2 virus for more than 18 months in the presence of sustained high-quality poliovirus surveillance, make it possible to conclude that the outbreak can now be declared over.
Sudan’s Health ministry declared the cVDPV2 outbreak during a difficult time of multiple emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown said Health minister Dr. Haithem Muhammad Ibrahim Awad Allah.
”Economic downturn and political instability were additional challenges during the start of the outbreak. The Federal Ministry of Health worked with partners and implemented a robust outbreak response plan that included 2 rounds of high-quality campaigning. Sudan is an example of how an early, rapid and coordinated response can stop an outbreak,” said Dr Haitham.
Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean said the end of the polio outbreak speaks to the skill and diligence of health workers and public health officials in Sudan, and to the extraordinary commitment of the government demonstrated by the allocation of significant domestic financial resources to the response, during this challenging period.
Backed by UNICEF and WHO, Sundan’s Health ministry successfully organized two nationwide vaccination campaigns targeting children under-5 years of age to contain the spread of poliovirus, reaching over 95 percent of the target population.
Community engagement and social mobilization efforts were stepped up to ensure information about the dangers of the disease and the need to immunize every eligible child reached every household were also crucial.
“Two nationwide campaigns using monovalent oral polio vaccine type 2 (mOPV2) covered all 18 states in November 2020 and January 2021, reaching over 8 million children under 5 in each of the 2 rounds. In every location, vaccinators took precautions against COVID-19, including using hand sanitizer and wearing masks. Despite the closure of the outbreak, the country remains vigilant for possible poliovirus importation,” said Dr Nima Saeed Abid, the WHO’s Rep in Sudan.
Since the polio outbreak was first reported, some eight million infants have been vaccinated against the disease.
WN/as/APA