Three nations report more polio cases; UK notes wastewater detections

News brief

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.

Barbados reports Oropouche virus cases as CDC ups travel advisory for Brazil hot spot

News brief

Lisa Schnirring

The Barbados Ministry of Health and Wellness recently reported two cases of Oropouche virus, both involving adults.

biting midge — **Biting midges, and some mosquito species, spread the virus.** Photo: Ian Jacobs/Flickr cc

The report didn't specify if the cases were locally acquired or imported, but officials advised the public to take precautions against mosquito and insect bites. The disease is spread by biting midges and some mosquito species.

Earlier this week, officials from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) raised concerns about the spread of Oropouche virus in the Americas, along with dengue and avian flu.

The region has reported more than 11,600 cases this year from 12 countries and territories, mainly Brazil. Though the outbreak is smaller than record dengue activity, PAHO officials said the geographic spread of Oropouche virus activity is increasing outside the Amazon basin, including to areas with no history of the disease, which has been linked to some congenital infections and poor pregnancy outcomes.

CDC ups travel alert for part of Brazil

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week issued a level 2 travel notice (yellow, practice enhanced precautions) for people visiting Brazil’s Espirito Santo state, located in the country’s southeast, due to an Oropouche virus outbreak. It urged pregnant women to reconsider nonessential travel to the area and advised all travelers to take steps to prevent bug bites, including for 3 weeks after returning to the United States, and to consider using condoms or not having sex during travel and for 6 weeks after travel.

The CDC has a level 1 travel notice (blue, practice usual precautions) in place for Oropouche virus in the Americas, where low numbers of cases have been reported Bolivia, other parts of Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, and Peru.

CWD detected near Wheaton, Minnesota, the first case in a wild deer in that area

News brief

Mary Van Beusekom, MS

White-tailed buck — William Currier / Flickr cc

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.