The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on May 20 that the variant type 1 polio outbreak in Madagascar is now over. The WHO said in a statement that the country’s continued efforts to eradicate polio have reached a “milestone” since September 2023, when no new cases have been reported.
The outbreak peaked in September 2023 with 287 cases, including 198 positive wastewater detections, 45 cases of acute flaccid paralysis, and 44 community cases.
“The recent advancements in polio vaccination and eradication are encouraging,” stated Mialy Rajoelina, the first lady and ambassador for immunization of Madagascar. In order to “give every child a healthy future,” she urged cooperation and continued action.
The outbreak started in 2020 and spread to 30 districts in 13 regions of the East African island nation, posing a serious health risk to unvaccinated adults and children under five. Contact with contaminated food, water, or feces can spread the infectious virus that causes polio. It can cause paralysis by invading the nervous system.