Uganda declares polio emergency, blames outbreak on Coronavirus

Uganda announced a polio emergency on Tuesday, August 17 and blamed the outbreak on the Covid-19 pandemic during which resources were diverted from polio vaccination projects.

The Health Ministry said in a statement that scientists have isolated a polio strain from two sewage treatment plants in the capital Kampala.

The strain, it said, had a genetic linkage to the types reported in Sudan.

"The resurgence of polio in Uganda may be attributed to routine immunization in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic," the ministry said.

It also said that cross-border movements from neighbouring countries already affected by the polio strain "pose a risk of further polio importation into the country."

The Health Ministry has heightened surveillance, instigating a search for all polio cases in all health facilities and investigation of all children under 15 years who get sudden paralysis or weakness in the arms or legs.

The government is also launching a house-to-house national polio immunization campaign from October to December 2021, targeting children of 5 years and below, the ministry said.

The wild type of poliovirus has been considered eradicated in Africa since August 2020. However, the polio vaccine itself can trigger so-called vaccine poliomyelitis in isolated cases.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently such cases in 20 African countries, including three countries bordering Uganda.

Polio has been considered a major threat to children worldwide for decades. The disease attacks the nervous system and can lead to permanent paralysis and death. Young children under the age of 5 are particularly affected.