Healio
Thursday, June 06, 2013
The CDC has reported four cases of wild poliovirus in Somalia in May, the first cases in the country since 2007. Two cases also were reported in Dadaab, Kenya, the first since July
2011. Dadaab hosts a major refugee camp that houses more than 500,000
people from the Horn of Africa, including Somalia. Other countries in
the Horn of Africa are at risk in this outbreak because of widespread
population movements and immunity gaps.
CDC recommends that all travelers to Somalia and Kenya, as well as
the surrounding countries — Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda and
Tanzania — be fully vaccinated against polio. Adults are also
recommended to receive a one-time booster dose.
In addition, WHO has reported that wild poliovirus type 1 was
identified in sewage samples in Rahat, Israel. Polio in humans in this
area has not been reported. Health authorities are conducting an
investigation. According to WHO, risk for international spread of the
virus from this location is low because there are high levels of
population immunity.
According to WHO, only Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain endemic for transmission of polio.