Zambia declares polio outbreak after virus detected in wastewater

Lusaka, Zambia (ANTARA) - Zambia announced a polio outbreak on Tuesday (24/2) in accordance with the International Health Regulations after samples taken from a wastewater treatment plant in the capital, Lusaka, tested positive for the virus.

Acting Zambian Minister of Health, Cornelius Mweetwa, said the virus was detected through the country’s environmental surveillance system, noting that there have been no reported cases of confirmed polio-related paralysis.

“The detection through the environmental wastewater surveillance system confirms that the virus is circulating in our communities,” Mweetwa said in a ministerial statement delivered in parliament.

Mweetwa said that the circulating polio virus has also been detected in several neighbouring countries, indicating a wider regional outbreak.

Mweetwa mentioned that the government has established a national polio virus response management system to coordinate prevention efforts. Risk assessments and detailed field investigations are currently underway to determine the extent of possible transmission in the community.

The government will work with the World Health Organization (WHO) to conduct a vaccination campaign targeting children under the age of five in identified high-risk areas, Mweetwa added.

Although Zambia last recorded a case of endemic wild poliovirus in 1995, Mweetwa said that since then, the country has periodically detected circulating poliovirus in the community, with the latest case reported in December 2023.