Malawi registers 3 new polio cases

Health authorities are confirming the emergence of three new polio cases in the country.

Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe has confirmed the development, indicating the cases have been recorded in Mulanje, Phalombe and Mwanza districts.

It follows positive returns of test samples taken from three under-five Mozambican children brought in by their guardians for medical care.

Malawi declared an outbreak of wild poliovirus Type 1 in February after a case was detected in a young child in the capital Lilongwe – the first case of wild poliovirus in Africa in more than five years.

Since then, health authorities have been conducting a vaccination campaign targeting all under-five children so as to prevent further spread of the diseases.

Three neighbouring countries of Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania have also been administering the jab.