By Kemo Cham
Health authorities in Sierra Leone say they are investigating a case of Type 2 poliovirus in the country.
The case, the first in three years, was detected in a four-year-old child, according to a joint statement from the National Public Health Agency (NPHA) and the Ministry of Health (MOH).
It said that the victim lives in the Approved School Community in the Western Area Urban, Freetown.
According to the statement, the sample has been sent for further analysis in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, pending confirmation about whether it is a circulating wild poliovirus or vaccine-derived poliovirus. The former is the wild form of the virus and it is the most dangerous, while the latter is derived from vaccines.
Polio, also known as Poliomyelitis, is an illness caused by a virus that mainly affects the nervous system. In its most severe form, it causes paralysis. It can also lead to trouble breathing and sometimes death.
Children under five years are the most affected by the disease.
The last time Sierra Leone detected a wild Poliovirus case was in 2010. And in 2020, the Africa region was declared free of the wild poliovirus.
Harold Thomas, Communications Lead at the NPHA and head of Health Education in the Ministry of Health told ManoReporters that the statement was issued to proactively inform the public while confirmation of the exact form of the virus is being sought.
This development comes after the conclusion of two rounds of supplementary polio vaccination campaigns in May and June this year. Data from the Ministry of Health indicate a coverage of 99.5 percent and 98 percent, respectively.
Those rounds of vaccination exercises were necessitated by the detection of a type 2 poliovirus in the environment.
Mr Harold explained that the difference between the last case and this one is that this was detected in a human.
“That one was seen in environmental sample, not in human. This one was seen in human. But we are yet to determine whether it is a vaccine derived or the wild poliovirus,” he said.
The authorities called for calm, saying that there is no cause for alarm.
“These efforts are part of our ongoing commitment to safeguarding public health,” said the statement signed by Brig. Gen. Prof. Foday Sahr, Executive Director of the National Public Health Agency.
It added: “The NPHA and MOH are working tirelessly to protect the community from public health threats and ensure the safety and well-being of all citizens.”
