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The International Journal of Comprehensive Health, Medicine, & Dentistry
e‑ISSN 3105-5001 Open Access · CC BY-NC 4.0
Vol. 1 · Issue 1 · 2025 Jan 31, 2025 Articles

Epidemiological Profile of Acute Flaccid Paralysis in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2021 to 2022

EM
ERIC MALAMBA Corresponding AAMT malambaeric@yahoo.fr Angola
Pages77-90 PublishedJan 31, 2025 LicenseOpen Access
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VOL 1 · ISS 1 · 2025 View issue

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has not reported any cases of
wild poliovirus since 2017 and has since been declared free of wild poliovirus. However, there have been
a few cases of poliomyelitis caused by vaccine-derived poliovirus. The objective of this study is to describe
the epidemiological characteristics of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases reported in the DRC between
2021 and 2022, in order to suggest adaptations to current control strategies.
Methods: This is an observational, retrospective, descriptive, and cross-sectional study based on
secondary surveillance data of AFP in the DRC from 2021 to 2022. An exhaustive sampling was conducted
using records from the disease control database, focusing on AFP cases reported in all provinces of the
DRC during the 2021-2022 period. Included in the analysis were all database entries confirmed as actual
AFP case
Keywords: Poliomyelitis, Acute flaccid Paralysis, Epidemiology, Democratic Republic of Congo
Introduction
The minimum standard recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for poliomyelitis
surveillance is syndromic surveillance based on acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases at the national level,
with laboratory confirmation of poliovirus from stool samples (World Health Organization, 2018). Acute
flaccid paralysis is defined as the sudden onset of paralysis characterized by a reduction in muscle tone in
one or more limbs. This syndrome can result from a variety of etiologies, including Guillain-Barré

Keywords

#Poliomyelitis #Acute flaccid Paralysis #Epidemiology #Democratic Republic of Congo

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License

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Copyright (c) 2025 ERIC MALAMBA

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