Malawi has recorded Africa’s first wild poliovirus (WPV) case in five years. It was confirmed by the Global Polio Laboratory Network (GPLN) on February 17, 2022.
- The case has been found to be genetically linked to the WPV1 detected in October 2019 in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
- Pakistan and Afghanistan are only two countries where Polio continues to remain endemic.
- This is the first WPV case in Malawi in three decades. This detection does not change that status.
- Africa was declared free of WPV in August 2020. In November 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) had stated that cases of wild poliovirus are on the decline.
- Only two cases of the disease were detected last year — both in countries (Pakistan and Afghanistan) where it remains endemic.
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