Nigeria was declared Polio free in August 2020, however despite Nigeria's wild polio virus free status, the country is still experiencing the transmission of circulating vaccine-derived polio virus type 2 (cVDPV2). The incidences of cVDPV2 are as a result of low vaccination rates and unvaccinated children coming in contact with excretions from children who have received the live attenuated (weakened) oral polio vaccine (OPV). This is exacerbated by poor environmental sanitation as the weakened virus is mostly found in drains, ditches and soak-away pits. The government and development partners are concerned about the potentiality of ongoing cVDPV2 transmission in Nigeria and the concerns are valid as cVDPV2 has been detected in environmental samples collected in communities across several states, one of which is Kano State, which previously had a high burden of polio in Nigeria.
cVDPV2 in environmental samples in communities
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