Zambia declares polio outbreak after virus detection
Zambia on Tuesday declared a poliovirus outbreak in line with the International Health Regulations after samples collected from a wastewater treatment plant in the capital, Lusaka, tested positive for the virus.
Acting Health Minister Cornelius Mweetwa said the virus was identified through the country’s environmental surveillance system, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
He emphasized that no confirmed clinical cases of polio-related paralysis have been reported so far.
“The detection through the environmental wastewater surveillance system confirms that the virus is being shed in our communities,” Mweetwa said in a ministerial statement delivered in parliament.
He noted that circulating poliovirus has also been identified in several neighboring countries, indicating a broader regional outbreak.
According to the minister, the government has activated a national poliovirus response management system to coordinate containment efforts. Authorities are conducting a risk assessment and detailed field investigations to determine the scale of potential community transmission.
Zambia will collaborate with the World Health Organization to roll out vaccination campaigns targeting all children under five years old in high-risk areas, Mweetwa added.
Although Zambia last recorded a case of indigenous wild poliovirus in 1995, the country has intermittently detected circulating poliovirus in recent years, with the most recent case reported in December 2023.
News.Az
By Nijat Babayev
