A press release issued by the ministry said it is with a deep sense of concern that they inform the public that the country has experienced another outbreak of a new strain of poliovirus cVDPV from the Environmental surveillance site located at Banjul.
“The 5th February 2024, three (3) environmental samples collected from Tallinding Daru Salam, Kotu Agua Gambia and Banjul were sent for sequencing to the Regional Polio Laboratory in the Republic of Senegal. We received the results in May 2024 and the sample collected from the Banjul site was positive for cVDPV 2,” said the ministry.
It added that, “Sequencing results further showed that the virus detected in The Gambia is genetically linked to the virus currently circulating in Guinea Conakry.”
The ministry therefore officially declares the polio outbreak and called for the usual support of the public to respond to the outbreak.
