Key result
Since the late 2010s, circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks in the Western Pacific Region have increased in frequency and magnitude, highlighting the ongoing risk of polio outbreaks.
Why the study?
Despite the region maintaining polio-free status, circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks have increased in frequency and magnitude, necessitating reconsideration of outbreak risks and updates to immunization and surveillance strategies.
Highlights the increasing risk of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks in the WHO Western Pacific Region and the need for updated immunization and surveillance strategies.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Strengthened regional surveillance may be warranted; leaves open drivers of rising cVDPV outbreaks.
The World Health Organization Western Pacific Region (WPR) has maintained a polio-free status for more than two decades. At the global level, there were only six confirmed polio cases due to wild type 1 poliovirus in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Malawi in 2021; therefore, the risk of wild poliovirus importation from endemic countries to the WPR is considerably lower than that in the past. However, the risk of polio outbreaks associated with circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs) cannot be ignored even in the WPR. Since the late 2010s, cVDPV outbreaks in the WPR have increased in frequency and magnitude. Moreover, the emergence of concomitant polio outbreaks of type 1 and type 2 cVDPVs in the Philippines and Malaysia during 2019-2020 highlighted the potential risk of cVDPV outbreaks in high-risk areas and/or communities in the WPR. Previous cVDPV outbreaks in the WPR have been rapidly and effectively controlled. However, future polio outbreak risks associated with cVDPVs must be reconsidered, and polio immunization and surveillance strategies should be updated accordingly.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Kitamura et al. (2022) conducted a review in Circulating Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus (cVDPV) outbreaks. Oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) and its derived circulating variants was evaluated on Incidence and characteristics of cVDPV outbreaks. Since the late 2010s, circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks in the Western Pacific Region have increased in frequency and magnitude, highlighting the ongoing risk of polio outbreaks.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: