Malawi polio outbreak: What next?

Since, the last polio case was in 1992, health authorities in Malawi declared an outbreak of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) on 17 February 2022. A 3-year-old girl was diagnosed with WPV1 in the country's capital, Lilongwe, after getting paralyzed by the virus in November 2021. The re-emergence of polio presents a new public health challenge that Malawi must respond to avoid the further spread of the virus within and outside the country. With an ongoing Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, responding to polio could be a challenge as the healthcare system is already challenged with responding to the pandemic. Frequent cross-border movement in the region also poses another challenge, particularly in the background of poor vaccination coverage and poor-quality vaccines. We recommend the development of a risk assessment plan that will guide in implementing vaccination campaigns. Additionally, polio surveillance programmes must be put in place with strong political, stakeholder and community engagement.