In Malawi, a young girl has contracted wild polio. It is the first case in Africa in more than five years.

Wild polio virus type 1 has been found in a young girl in the East African country of Malawi. That let the health authorities know. The diagnosis is quite a setback. Because although the entire continent of Africa was labeled polio-free last year, Malawi is already talking about an outbreak.

More about polio
Polio is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It penetrates the nervous system and can cause total paralysis within hours. Infection can occur through contact between the mouth and faeces (for example, if an infected person does not wash his hands properly after going to the toilet) or – to a lesser extent – ​​through contaminated water or food. The virus then multiplies in the gut. The disease took hold especially after the Second World War and made more and more victims. Polio mainly affects children under the age of five. The first symptoms of the disease – which cannot be cured, only prevented – are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, pain in the limbs and a stiff neck. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually of the legs.

The girl diagnosed with wild polio lives in the Malawian capital of Lilongwe. It is the first case in Africa in more than five years.

Africa polio free

“The penultimate case of wild polio in Africa was diagnosed in Northern Nigeria in 2016,” said Modjirom Ndoutabe, World Health Organization (WHO) polio coordinator for Africa. Four years later, the continent was declared polio-free by the WHO, after all forms of wild polio had been eradicated. The continued reduction of the disease was mainly due to vaccines. “In 2021, there were only five cases worldwide,” Ndoutabe said.

Pakistan

The girl is believed to have contracted the highly contagious polio virus in Pakistan. Laboratory analysis shows that the strain detected in Malawi is related to the strain circulating in Pakistan’s Sindh province. In addition, it is known that the polio virus is still circulating in Pakistan and Afghanistan. “As long as there is still wild polio in the world, all countries are at risk of importing the virus,” emphasizes Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.

Measures

Malawi is currently taking urgent measures to prevent the further spread of the polio virus. “The ability to quickly detect the virus allows us to respond quickly and protect children from the debilitating disease,” said Moeti. The surveillance of the disease is also being scaled up in neighboring countries.

Status

The fact that wild polio has now reappeared in Africa is a huge setback and depresses the party atmosphere of last year, when, as mentioned, the continent was still labeled polio-free. The continent retains this prestigious status, despite the contamination in Malawi. That is because it is an imported case from Pakistan.

The hope is, of course, that it will remain with one infection. Whether that is the case, however, remains to be seen. In any case, every effort is made to prevent the disease from spreading further. “We will mobilize all resources to help Malawi,” concludes Ndoutabe.