MOH alerts public on detection of polio virus in Koforidua

• Dr Okoe Boye

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed the detection of circulating Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in an environmental sample obtained in Koforidua, Eastern Region.

It has thus declared it as a public health emergency, urging the public to practise better personal hygiene and maintain good sanitation to reduce the risk of transmission.

cVDPV2 is a type of polio virus that can emerge in communities where not enough people are vaccinated against polio.

It comes about when the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which contains a weakened form of the virus, is given to protect against polio via vaccination, the weakened virus is shed in the stool of vaccinated children.

In places with poor sanitation or where many people aren’t vaccinated, this weakened virus can spread to others and over time, may change and regain strength to form a virus that can cause illness and spread in communities, likely leading to paralysis.

In the statement signed and issued by the sector Minister, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, he explained that the sample was detected by the Polio Laboratory at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), which serves as the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Polio Laboratory and conducts routine surveillance for polio in Ghana.

He said samples were collected on August 20, 2024 with initial testing on September 3 indicating the presence of poliovirus, which was later confirmed as cVDPV2 on September 5, 2024.

“This detection of environmental polio constitutes a public health emergency,” Dr Okoe Boye stated, adding that the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has initiated measures to address the situation.

According to the Minister, field investigations to trace the source of the infection had commenced as well as assessment of geographical spread, evaluation of the risk of further transmission to humans, enhanced surveillance, and improved public communication to reduce spread of the virus.

“We wish to assure the public that the Ministry of Health, together with its partners, is doing everything possible to prevent the further spread of the virus from the environment to humans,” he stated.

Since 2019, Ghana has broken its decade-long status of being polio-free following the detection of cVDPV2.

Although no cases have been recorded in humans, cVDPV2 has intermittently been reported in environmental samples taken during routine surveillance.

The detection of the virus in the environment calls for strengthened vaccination efforts to protect the populace.

BY ABIGAIL ANNOH