‘The situation poses great danger’ — Adamawa confirms polio resurgence

The Adamawa government has confirmed the detection of the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV) in the state.

The development comes almost one year after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Nigeria polio-free.

On August 25, 2020, the independent Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) for polio eradication officially declared Nigeria and the rest of Africa free of indigenous wild poliovirus.

Although the federal government had, in July 2021, warned of the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 case across 13 states and the federal capital territory (FCT), this is the first case of the poliovirus type 2 that will be detected in Adamawa over the past year.

According to the WHO, vaccine-derived poliovirus develops within communities where immunisation has not been significantly achieved.

“Oral polio vaccine (OPV) contains an attenuated (weakened) vaccine-virus, activating an immune response in the body. When a child is immunised with OPV, the weakened vaccine-virus replicates in the intestine for a limited period, thereby developing immunity by building up antibodies. During this time, the vaccine-virus is also excreted. In areas of inadequate sanitation, this excreted vaccine-virus can spread in the immediate community (and this can offer protection to other children through ‘passive’ immunisation), before eventually dying out,” a document explaining the vaccine-derived polio virus reads.

“On rare occasions, if a population is seriously under-immunised, an excreted vaccine-virus can continue to circulate for an extended period of time. The longer it is allowed to survive, the more genetic changes it undergoes. In very rare instances, the vaccine-virus can genetically change into a form that can paralyse – this is what is known as a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV).”

Abdullahi Isa, commissioner for health and human services in Adamawa, confirmed the detection of the cVDPV case on Saturday, during the official flag-off of the first-round outbreak response immunisation in Yola, the state capital.

The commissioner also expressed concern that the development would pose the risk of a possible outbreak of polio in the state.

“One case of circulating vaccine derived poliovirus type 2 has been detected in the state,” he said.

“The situation is posing a great danger to polio virus outbreak in the state. The resurface of the poliovirus type 2 necessitated the immediate flag-off of the first-round outbreak response for oral polio vaccine.”

The commissioner said the state government, with support from developmental partners such as the WHO, United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), among others, have trained about 800 health workers to carry out routine polio vaccination.

He said around one million children below five years will be vaccinated across the state.

On his part, Iyobosa Igbinovia, the WHO state coordinator, said the new polio case is a threat to healthcare services not only in Adamawa, but for the north-east in general.

“WHO is working hand in hand with the state government to ensure total eradication of the virus and to ensure every eligible child is vaccinated against polio,” Igbinovia said.

In his remarks, Muhammadu Isa, district head of Jimeta, Yola north LGA, where the case was detected, promised to support health workers during the immunisation exercise.

“I will direct all ward heads to ensure people comply and present their children to receive oral polio vaccine,” he said.