The Ministry of Health has announced a public health emergency due to the recent detection of poliovirus in Koforidua.

0

On September 16, 2024, the ministry reported that routine surveillance uncovered circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2. Environmental samples from the area also tested positive for the virus.

1

As a result, the ministry is taking immediate action to prevent a potential outbreak.

2

“The Polio Laboratory of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) which serves as the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Polio Laboratory, through routine surveillance activities on polio, has detected circulating Vaccine Derived Poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) from environmental sample in the Koforidua site in Eastern Region.

3

“The sample was collected on 20 August 2024. The isolation result was obtained on 3rd September 2024 as suspected polio and subsequently confirmed as cVDPV2 on 5th September 2024. This detection of environmental polio constitutes a Public Health Emergency,” the statement said.

4

Ghanaians are being advised on essential preventive measures to avoid contracting poliovirus.

5

Polio is a highly contagious viral illness that, in severe cases, can lead to nerve damage, paralysis, breathing difficulties, and potentially death, especially in children.

6

The virus spreads through direct contact with an infected person or, less frequently, via contaminated food and water.

7

Individuals infected with poliovirus can transmit the virus through their feces for several weeks.

8

Read full statement below

9

10