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