Somalia Polio Flash Update: Week 41 2020 – Somalia

*data as reported in Weekly Somalia EPI/PEI update, ending 10 October

• Two new cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases were confirmed by the laboratory this week. Once case, a female child, lives in an accessible village in Shibis District, Banadir region, with a paralysis onset date of 25 August 2020. The second case had onset of paralysis on 17 September 2020. This female child resides in Balad District in Middle Shebelle Region.
• One cVDPV2 positive environmental sample was reported this week from Kismayo District, Lower Juba, collected on 8 September. 24 cVDPV2 positive environmental samples have been reported so far in 2020.
• Steps taken in response to recent detection of cases include detailed case investigations, healthy child sampling, raising community awareness, sensitizing health workers to acute flaccid paralysis, and intensified active case search.
• The second round of monovalent oral polio vaccine type 2 (mOPV2) vaccination activities covering South and Central regions of Somalia has been delayed. The new proposed campaign dates are 25 – 28 October.

*aVDPV1 cases are not currently reflected in Somalia’s overall case count for the outbreak, to ensure consistency with global re- porting of VDPV cases.