Indonesia reported four cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) from October 2022 to February 2023, with two new confirmed cases in December 2023. The cases are from Central Java and East Java provinces, with sub-optimal vaccination coverage increasing the risk of further transmission. Public health responses, including detailed case investigation and risk assessment, are underway, and the overall risk is assessed as high at the national level. WHO advises strengthening surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis cases and maintaining high routine immunization coverage to minimize the consequences of any new virus introduction.
Cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus have been detected in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus was found in an unvaccinated four-year-old boy in Burundi and six children in the DRC's eastern Tanganyika and South Kivu provinces. The detections are the first linked with the use of a new vaccine, the novel oral poliomyelitis vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), which was developed specifically to reduce this risk. Burundi and the DRC plan to conduct polio vaccination campaigns in the coming weeks for all eligible children aged up to 7 years with help from the WHO and GPEI.
Health officials in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo have detected cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus, which is different from wild poliovirus and occurs when a weakened strain of poliovirus contained in the oral polio vaccine circulates among under-immunized populations for long periods. The detections are significant as they are the first linked with the use of a new vaccine, the novel oral poliomyelitis vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), which was developed specifically to reduce this risk.
