Malawi Declares Outbreak of Type 2 Poliovirus

The Malawi Ministry of Health has announced a new outbreak of poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) after it was detected in environmental samples.

Secretary for Health and Sanitation, Dan Namarika, said the virus was identified through routine sewage monitoring at two locations in the country’s commercial city of Blantyre.

The ministry has raised the alarm over the serious health risks posed by the virus, which can cause irreversible paralysis, especially in children, similar to the wild poliovirus.

Following advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), the health authorities have urged the public to observe strict food hygiene measures to prevent the spread of the virus and ensure that children are fully vaccinated.

According to Namarika, the ministry is working around the clock to intensify containment efforts, as it did during the 2022 outbreak.

He noted that measures are being put in place to conduct supplementary immunisation campaigns to protect children and prevent further transmission.

Malawi last responded to polio in 2022 after a case of wild poliovirus type 1 was confirmed in a 14-year-old, marking the country’s first case in three decades. No further cases were reported until now.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has been supporting Malawi’s polio eradication efforts by supplying 6.8 million vaccine doses and helping to strengthen the country’s immunisation supply chain.

Polio primarily affects the nervous system and, if untreated, can result in permanent physical disability.