MALAWI – Malawian health ministry declared a polio outbreak in the country on Saturday, after the poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) was detected in an environmental sample.

Secretary for Health and Sanitation Dan Namarika said the virus was identified through routine sewage surveillance at two sites in the commercial city of Blantyre.

The ministry has cautioned that the virus causes serious health risks and can cause irreversible paralysis, especially for children, similar to the wild poliovirus.

“Following advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), the ministry is working around the clock to intensify measures to contain the outbreak, as we did in 2022. We therefore urge the general public to maintain food hygiene precautions to prevent the spread of the virus and to ensure that children are fully vaccinated,” said Namarika.

“We are putting in place plans to conduct supplementary immunization campaigns to protect children and prevent further transmission,” he said.

Malawi last mounted a polio response in 2022 after an outbreak of wild poliovirus type 1.

In February 2022, after 30 years of no cases, Malawi declared a polio outbreak after one case of wild polio virus was detected in a 14-year-old child. Since then, there have been no cases of polio, until now.

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, has been working with the Malawi government in its fight to end polio. In addition to procuring 6.8 million vaccine doses, UNICEF has also supported the strengthening of the overall immunization supply chain.

Polio affects the nervous system and if left unchecked, can cause physical disability.