Three countries reported more polio cases this week, including Pakistan, with three more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases. In other developments, the United Kingdom reported three wastewater detections of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), as Germany reported six more wastewater detections in six cities.

In its latest weekly update, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) said Pakistan's latest three WPV1 patients had paralysis onsets in November and were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces. Pakistan is one of two countries where WPV1 is still endemic and, like Afghanistan, has reported a sharp rise in cases this year. For 2024, the country has now reported 59 cases. A media report today from Pakistan said four additional cases have been reported, which would raise the country's total to 63.

Elsewhere, two African countries reported more cVDPV2 cases. Chad reported 2 illnesses with paralysis onsets in September and October, putting its total for the year at 22. Nigeria reported 5 more cases, all with October paralysis onsets, boosting its number for 2024 to 86.

Wastewater detections in Europe and Gaza

GPEI also reported advance notifications of wastewater detections in the United Kingdom and Finland. The detection in Finland was reported by the media earlier this week. The UK detections are from samples collected in November from London, Leeds, and East Worthing. Five European countries have recently detected cVDPV 2 in wastewater.

Germany, which reported its initial detections earlier this month, confirmed six more wastewater isolates collected in November from six different cities: Bonn, Dresden, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne, and Mainz. The GPEI said all are linked to a strain that originated in Nigeria's Zamfara state. The group added that all five European countries that have reported detections, which also includes Spain and Poland, have strong disease surveillance and high routine immunization levels.

In its report, the GPEI also reported six more positive environmental samples in Gaza, an area that reported a human case this summer, which prompted a vaccine drive in the area.

A deer near Wheaton, Minnesota, in the western part of the state, has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), the first detection in a wild deer in that area, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reported yesterday.

The buck was harvested by a hunter during the opening weekend of firearms season, the second weekend in November, in Deer Permit Area (DPA) 271, along Minnesota's border with South Dakota.

"This discovery in western Minnesota, while unwelcome news, highlights the importance and necessity of our disease surveillance efforts and allowing hunters to test deer harvested anywhere in the state if they would like to," Erik Hildebrand, DNR wildlife health supervisor, said in a news release.

Multiple management actions to be taken

The detection triggered implementation of the DNR's CWD response plan, which consists of 3 years of testing to estimate CWD prevalence in DPA 271 and the surrounding permit areas. The DNR will work with the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department to coordinate CWD surveillance and management in the area.

The adult male deer in DPA 271 that tested positive for CWD was harvested during the breeding season when deer are known to travel longer distances.

"Within DPAs where CWD has been detected and confirmed, the Minnesota DNR uses multiple management actions designed to help mitigate disease spread, including carcass movement restrictions, a deer feeding and attractants ban and, sometimes, increased hunting opportunities with increased bag limits," the DNR said. 

The DNR will conduct disease surveillance in fall 2025 before deciding whether to cull more deer with a special hunt. "The adult male deer in DPA 271 that tested positive for CWD was harvested during the breeding season when deer are known to travel longer distances," the release said. 

Caused by misfolded infectious proteins called prions, CWD is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects cervids such as deer and elk. CWD can spread among animals and through environmental contamination. The disease isn't known to infect humans, but authorities advise against eating meat from sick animals and recommend using precautions when handling carcasses.