September 17, 2026

WHO says vaccine-derived poliovirus detected in Papua New Guinea

Detection of type 2 poliovirus is officially classified as a polio outbreak

WHO says vaccine-derived poliovirus detected in Papua New Guinea
The World Health Organisation (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Jan 28, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

bdnews24.com

Reuters

Published : 21 May 2025, 02:25 AM

Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 01:18 PM

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday that circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) had been detected in stool specimens of two healthy children in Papua New Guinea on May 9.

The detection of wild poliovirus or vaccine-derived poliovirus, including from samples taken from healthy children, is considered a serious public health event, WHO said in a statement.

It added that the detection of circulating type 2 poliovirus was classified as a "polio outbreak".

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