WILD POLIO VIRUS, TYPE 1 (WPV1) - There was one new case of WPV1 reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this last week, so the overall count increases to 21 for the year. Although it was only just reported, paralysis actually occurred on August 1st. This brings the total number of cases in Pakistan to15, all coming from the same area.

THIRTY - The number of days since the last case of WPV1 occurred in (August 1st).
FIFTY-SEVEN — The number of days since the last case of WPV1 occurred in Mozambique (July 5th).

TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE (7 MONTHS +) The number of days since the last case of WPV1 occurred in Afghanistan (January 14th).

TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE (9 MONTHS +) - The number of days since the last case of WPV1 occurred in Malawi (November 19th, 2021).

TWENTY-ONE - The total number of cases of WPV1 that has occurred in 2022 year-to-date (1 in Afghanistan, 5 in Mozambique and 15 in Pakistan).
SIX - The total number of cases of WPV1 that occurred in 2021 (1 in Pakistan, 1 in Malawi and 4 in Afghanistan).

ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY - The total number of cases of WPV1 that occurred in 2020.
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SIX - The total number of cases of WPV1 that occurred in 2019.

There were also 4 New Wild Positive Environmental Samples (ES’s) reported this last week, 2 each in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, the latest having been collected on the 11th of August. So the total, year to date, increases to 23 Wild Positive Environmental Samples, 21 in Pakistan and 2 in Afghanistan.

Pakistan

• THIS YEARS DETECTION OF THE IMPORTED WILD POLIOVIRUS IN MALAWI AND MOZAMBIQUE set off a series of coordinated campaigns across East Africa, as countries acted to swiftly protect their populations and prevent further transmission. Approximately 450 million doses of nOPV2 have been administered across 22 countries under its WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) to date. An additional 16 countries have met the requirements for nOPV2 use in the event of an outbreak.

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CIRCULATING VACCINE-DERIVED POLIO - On our other battlefront in the war on polio, the circulating Vaccine-Derived Polio, there were 26 new cases vs. 21 the week before. 18 we’re in Yemen, 4 in Chad and two each in Benin and DR Congo. This brings year to date case totals to 272, compared to 273 a year ago at this time. Of particular concern in Yemen is that in almost two-thirds of the areas reporting the bulk of the cVDPV2 cases, they have not yet implemented type 2-containing polio vaccination campaigns, underscoring the risk both to local children and to neighboring countries. Intensive efforts are ongoing to access Yemen’s northern governorates with polio vaccine. The number of cVDPV2 cases in Yemen now stands at 110, 40% of the total cases year to date, worldwide.

And finally, there were only 2 Positive Environmental Samples (ES) of Vaccine Derived Polio Type 2 reported last week, both of which were collected in Ghana, the latest being on the 2nd of August.

• PAKISTAN FLOODS: 33 MILLION PEOPLE (15% OF THE POPULATION) HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE DEVASTATING FLOODS IN PAKISTAN.

In the past few weeks, record
monsoon rains have dumped
more than five times the 30-year
average for rainfall in some
provinces, killing more than 1,200
people, nearly 400 of them
children, and injuring over 6,000.
More than 1 million have been
displaced from their homes and
according to Shelter Box, literally
1⁄3 of the country is under water.
One of the hardest hit areas is
the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Province, where Pakistan’s 15 Wild Polio Cases originated from earlier this year. WHO’S EMRO (Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office) has released US$4 million for Pakistan aid while polio teams support disease surveillance for other diseases during the flood emergency.

Dr Hamid Jafari, WHO EMRO Director for Polio Eradication, said
via his Twitter account: “Heartbreaking sights from Pakistan, as the damage to the lives, livelihoods and health of people requires all of us to come together and provide support. WHO has been activated to provide emergency support to the Government of Pakistan with medical supplies and expertise, and of course our polio workforce is assisting efforts.”

•RI PRESIDNT JENNIFER JONES HAS RELEASED AN INSPIRING VIDEO thanking the members of the PolioPlus Society for going above and beyond in their commitment to eradicating polio. So if you’re a member of the Society, pat yourself on the back, as you humbly accept this accolade from President Jennifer...you have definitely earned it in your commitment to ending polio. Click here to watch the video.

• THE CASE OF cVDPV2 REPORTED IN ROCKLAND COUNTY, NEW YORK continues its news cycle with almost daily stories being published by various media outlets. This story, published by WIRED, although a week old, takes a “Deep Dive” into Polio and our battle against it, and IMHO, is one of the best articles I’ve seen when it comes to describing the differences between Wild Polio and Vaccine Derived Polio and their various types, how we got to where we are and where we need to go to finish the job. You can either read the article, or listen to it, as there is an audio recording of it at the top of the page. Click here to access the article in either print or audio versions.

• DO YOU REMEMBER THIS...LINING UP FOR YOUR POLIO SHOT OR YOUR SUGAR CUBE? If not, you are not alone. Many folks, including myself, do not have any records showing the drops or shots they took, although I do remember taking a sugar cube and having shots, but the shots could have been for something else. My wife has her polio cards, specifying what she received. So for that reason, I’m

curious if I received protection from all 3 types. As I understand it, you had to be fully vaccinated to attend school, so I’m assuming I was...but it’d be nice to know for sure. Well, NBC News ran a story on this very subject on August 16th, and has listed the details on how to access your vaccination records, according to each state’s health department. Does it work? Don’t know yet, as I just submitted my request a week ago and the California Health Department says requests take at least two weeks to process. So we’ll see. Go to “vaccination records” to start the process.