Indonesia's health ministry over the weekend reported a polio case in a child. On Twitter, the officials said one case of type 2 polio, presumably circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDP2), was found in Pidie regency in Aceh province. The government said it will launch an immunization drive for children up to ages 13 starting on Nov 28 in all areas of Aceh.
A local health department statement translated and posted by Avian Flu Diary, an infectious disease news blog, said acute flaccid paralysis was found on Nov 10 in a 7-year-old child who wasn't vaccinated.
In 2019, the country reported two cVDPV1 cases in Papua province.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said vaccine-derive polio infections are rare but can emerge in populations affected by immunization gaps.
In 2014, a WHO emergency committee declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) over ongoing polio activity. In October it met for the 33rd time to discuss the latest developments, and afterward it agreed that the situation still warrants a PHEIC, partly owing to the risk of international spread of cVDPV2 along with immunization gaps.
Earlier this year, cVDPV2 was found in a New York resident, along with wastewater detections, which suggest further local spread. Similar environmental detections were reported recently in London and Jerusalem.