Malawi polio outbreak: What next?

Abstract

Abstract Since, the last polio case was in 1992, health authorities in Malawi declared an outbreak of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) on 17 February 2022. A 3‐year‐old girl was diagnosed with WPV1 in the country's capital, Lilongwe, after getting paralyzed by the virus in November 2021. The re‐emergence of polio presents a new public health challenge that Malawi must respond to avoid the further spread of the virus within and outside the country. With an ongoing Coronavirus disease (Covid‐19) pandemic, responding to polio could be a challenge as the healthcare system is already challenged with responding to the pandemic. Frequent cross‐border movement in the region also poses another challenge, particularly in the background of poor vaccination coverage and poor‐quality vaccines. We recommend the development of a risk assessment plan that will guide in implementing vaccination campaigns. Additionally, polio surveillance programmes must be put in place with strong political, stakeholder and community engagement.

Keywords

• Malawi
• outbreak
• polio
• response