By Crispin Tulay
Monrovia, Liberia – Health authorities in the Mano River Union (MRU) Basin region are grappling with the enormous task to ‘kick polio’ out of their respective countries and by extension, the region. The MRU countries include Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Liberia
Latest available health statistics and information show that in Sierra Leone, there have been reported cases of the disease which has triggered fears of the possibility of a surge in parts of Sierra Leone which, according to the data, would make its regional neighbors such as Liberia and Guinea vulnerable to infection.
In March 2024, the Sierra Leone National Public Health Agency (NPHA) confirmed a human case of Type 3 poliovirus in a child in the northern district of Kambia. It also reported that a Type 2 poliovirus was detected in a sewage system in the Mabela community in Freetown. Mabela is one of the city’s most populated slum communities.
Polio is an illness caused by a virus that mainly affects nerves in the spinal cord or brain stem and is transmitted through contaminated water, food and contact with an infected person and mainly affects children under five years of age. In its most severe form, polio can lead to paralysis and sometimes death.
In Sierra Leone, reports of the detection of the poliovirus have caused panic amongst residents in Freetown. Harold Thomas, NPHA Communications Lead and Head of the Public Health Education Programme at Sierra Leone Ministry of Health, urged residents not to panic noting that “The fact that these viruses have been detected shows that Sierra Leone’s public health surveillance system is sharp and working.” he said. However, he added, the NPHA is concerned especially given that it was detected in sewage samples indicates that someone infected with the polio virus is shedding the disease.
“At least one person is shedding the virus. It could be an adult; it could be a child. If it is an adult, it (the adult) will not likely show sign of polio, but it could infect children under five-years old, and they could get paralyzed,” Thomas said.
This news about the detection of the virus may have come as a surprise to the public at large, but not to Sierra Leone’s health care workers given that a year ago, in 2023, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) report classified Sierra Leone as ‘A state no longer infected by the poliovirus but remains vulnerable to re-infection.” The IHR is an international agreement that is aimed at monitoring and reporting potential public health emergencies globally.
This news of outbreaks in Sierra Leone has prompted neighboring countries to take preventive steps to ward off any possible spread of the disease across borders.
In Liberia, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and partners, from May 10-13, 2024, initiated a massive nationwide, house-to-house, Novel Oral Polio Vaccine (nOPV2) vaccination campaign with the primary objective to protect the health of around 859,091 children under the age of 5 years.
A similar campaign was carried out simultaneously with Sierra Leone, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Ivory Coast.
Liberia’s Minister of Health, Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, challenged parents and caregivers to prioritize their children’s vaccination. “We implore all parents and guardians to avail themselves of this opportunity to safeguard the health and future of our children. Together, we can eliminate the threat of polio and build a healthier, more resilient Liberia,” Dr. Kpoto stressed.
Dr. Catherine Cooper, Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer said the campaign was a united effort with neighboring West African countries to synchronize polio immunization and boost the protection of children in the region.
“The Government of Liberia is committed to supporting international efforts aimed at eradicating polio from our world. We urge our health workers to leave no child unvaccinated during their rounds. We also call upon our parents and communities to lend their full support. Our optimum goal is to ensure the safety of our country”, Dr. Cooper said..
Andy Brooks, UNICEF Representative in Liberia said the campaign marks a significant step forward in the fight against polio.
“I am deeply moved by the dedication and commitment shown by everyone involved in this nationwide campaign,” Brook said.
“Our goal is clear,” Brooks continued, and that is “to ensure that every child under the age of five is vaccinated and protected from this debilitating disease. We believe that every child, no matter where they live, has the right to a healthy future. This campaign is not just about administering vaccines, it’s about safeguarding the future of Liberia’s children. Together, we can kick Polio out of Liberia.”
Sierra Leone is just the latest MRU basin country to report new cases of the polio virus. In neighboring Guinea, about 18 cases of the type 2 poliovirus variant were confirmed in 2023 and identified through an environmental surveillance in Siguiri and Mandiana prefectures in the Kankan region. The first suspected case of poliovirus, a 2-year-old child with a paralysis of the left leg, was reported by the Siguiri Prefectural Hospital on 22 June 2023.
In October 2023, in response to the reports of the detection of the poliovirus in its midst, Guinea health officials embarked on a three-day country-wide vacation campaign. During the campaign, 3,598,977 children aged 0-59 months were vaccinated, which exceeds the goal by 107 percent, according to UNICEF Guinea.
In the MRU basin region area, concerns about the potential of the spread of the polio virus across borders are high, with one country, say health care workers. This, they say, is because the borders between these countries are porous and there is minimum control of cross border activities.
CT/wj