Monthly Update of the Polio Eradication Program

PolioFreeAfghanistan

July 4, 2021

—-May—-

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POLIO TRANSMISSION

No new Wild Poliovirus(WPV1) cases and 2 new cVDPV2 cases were confirmed in May 2021.

AFP / ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEILLANCE

231 children with Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP)
107 females and 124 males – were reported in May 2021. A total of 1,655 AFP cases have been reported since the beginning of 2021. Of these, 1,358 cases have been discarded as non-polio. About 255 cases are pending final classification

The non-polio AFP rate remained above 8, stool adequacy stood above 86%, and non-polio enterovirus rate ranged between 9-17% in all regions

No new WPV1 positive environmental sample and 2 new cVDPV2 positive environmental samples were confirmed in May 2021

COMPLEMENTARY VACCINATION ACTIVITIES

15 cross-border vaccination points, 51 cross- border teams and 307 permanent transit teams (PTTs) and 205 transit points were operational in May 2021
Permanent transit teams vaccinated 642,901 children, and cross-border teams vaccinated 69,838 children against polio in May 2021
320 children under 10 were given OPV in UNHCR repatriation centre and IOM sites receiving returnees and refugees from Pakistan and Iran in May 2021
Between Jan to end of May, 2,704 returnee children were vaccinated with OPV and 187 children with IPV, respectively

Key communication activities

176 local governance representatives, including directorates, wakil guzars, and maliks were engaged by frontline workers (FLWs) in the south, southeast, west and northeast regions to address chronic refusals, and raise awareness on polio in preperation of the June National Immunization Days (NIDs). They were also involved in access negotiations for inaccessible areas
89,867 caregivers (including 79,137 females) were engaged in polio, routine immunization, mother and child health (MNCH) promotion and COVID-19 prevention awareness sessions by the Immunization Communication Network (ICN) through house-to-house visits and community meetings in the south, southeast, and northeast regions
5,146 elderly females household members who have potential influence in decision making in families were reached with health education messages on polio vaccination, routine immunization (RI) and COVID-19 prevention awareness in the west and south regions through the polio programme female engagement initiative in May 2021
330,832 females were reached with polio and mother and child health awareness by the female mobilizers/vaccinators (FMVs) through 36,330 sessions at target health facilities
109 religious influencers were engaged in polio promotion activities including awareness raising about polio, and informing people of the polio campaign dates in the south, southeast, north and west regions
217,683 under five children and 8,560 children under two were given polio drops and 13,161 girls and women received tetanus (TT) vaccine from the FMVs in the southeast and east regions

Traditional and digital media engagement