YEMEN POLIO UPDATE: 60 CASES AND GROWING

UNCLAS SANAA 001304 SIPDIS AMMAN - PLEASE PASS TO JOCK WHITTLESLEY. E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO AMED YM SUBJECT: YEMEN POLIO UPDATE: 60 CASES AND GROWING REF: SANAA 1032 ¶1. (SBU) On May 11, Yemen's poliomyelitis outbreak reached more than 60 cases according to official statements, making one of the largest outbreaks in non-polio endemic country in recent years. UN Health officials publicly estimated that polio infections in Yemen will exceed the 100 mark, as more suspected cases are examined in the laboratory. Current reported cases, with pending laboratory results, far exceed the UN estimate. USAID Senior Health Advisor Dr. Ahmed Attieg reported 313 polio cases with the complication of paralysis, known as Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP). A majority of the reported AFP cases are concentrated in the Hodeidah governorate -- a reported 209 AFP cases. To date, the laboratory completed testing 66 of these reported AFP patients; 44 cases tested negative for AFP and 22 cases produced positive results. A majority of the positive AFP cases were located in the Hodeidah governorate with the rest in the major cities of Sanaa, Sayun, Hajja, and Taiz. ¶2. (SBU) An initial round of vaccinations were executed in mid-April. At present, WHO experts are working with the Ministry of Health to finalize campaign plans and to train vaccinators and supervisors for the next round of the vaccination campaign scheduled to start May 30. On May 12, UNICEF confirmed that six million doses of monovalent oral polio vaccine type 1 (mOPV1) have been shipped to Yemen and are due to arrive this week, as part of emergency measures to stop the ongoing polio outbreak in the country. Also the US Naval Medical Research Unit Three (NAMRU-3) and US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) infectious disease teams are scheduled to participate in epidemiological investigations and lend technical support to the Ministry of Health. ¶3. (SBU) Some extremist imams are reportedly taking advantage of this outbreak to claim that the United States is waging a campaign to intentionally infect Yemenis with polio or to cause infertility to Muslims. ¶4. (SBU) Although aware of serious mismanagement and corruption allegations against the Ministry of Health, international donors are responding to the current crisis despite the Ministry's poor record of handling vaccination campaigns. Allegations of vaccine cold storage mismanagement and local officials pocketing program implementation funds without administering the vaccines abound in the international donor community. Krajeski