Polio has broken out in Ivory Coast, with three children confirmed as having the crippling disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday.
The U.N. agency warned that the virus may spread within Ivory Coast, where disease surveillance is poor after months of post-election violence, and to other parts of West Africa. “The outbreak response may be constrained by the current security situation in Cote d’Ivoire,” the WHO said.
Immunisation rounds are planned in 15 West African countries from next week, but the dates for Ivory Coast will depend on the security situation, WHO spokesman Oliver Rosenbauer said.
Vaccinations had not taken place as planned in Ivory Coast last month due to the fighting and the WHO could not rule out that the virus was continuing to circulate undetected there.
Ivory Coast forces attacked formerly allied ‘Invisible Commando’ fighters in Abidjan on Wednesday in the most serious escalation of violence since former leader Laurent Gbagbo was toppled by the new President Alassane Ouattara.
A polio outbreak struck 27 children in Ivory Coast between 2008-2009 but was caused by a different strain known as type 1. The current strain, wild poliovirus type 3, had not been detected in the country since 2000, according to the WHO.
