Vaccine-derived poliovirus detected in Burundi, DR Congo
A child receives polio vaccine. Health officials in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo have detected cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus. PHOTO | ERICKY BONIPHACE | AFP
Health officials in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have detected cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus, the World Health Organisation and Global Polio Eradication Initiative said.
The WHO said the Burundian government had declared the detection of the virus a national public health emergency, after cases were confirmed in an unvaccinated four-year-old boy in Isale district in western Burundi and two other children who were his contacts.
