According to a June 22, 2004, Global Polio Eradication Initiative report, a single case of paralytic poliomyelitis was confirmed with onset of paralysis May 20 in a child in the West Darfur region of Sudan, 12 miles from the border with Chad. The poliovirus responsible for the case is genetically similar to wild poliovirus circulating in northern Nigeria.
Other cases of poliomyelitis linked to outbreaks occurring in northern Nigeria have been reported in the last year from several countries in Western and Central Africa. These countries include Benin, Chad, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Togo. The exception, Botswana, is located in southern Africa.
This year, the number of children paralyzed by polio in West and Central Africa is five times higher than in 2003. Because of the rapid reemergence of infection in areas that had previously been free of polio, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has warned that a major epidemic could occur this autumn, the high season for poliovirus transmission. In response to the outbreak, synchronized immunization campaigns targeting 74 million children are planned this fall across 22 African countries.
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