As of 18 March, 4 paralytic cases of children infected with circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) have been reported in Tajikistan, with several cVDPV2 cases detected in community and close contacts. The first cVDPV2 case with onset of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) was reported on 22 November 2020 in Khatlon Province, linked to a virus strain currently circulating in Pakistan. A second case of cVDPV2 was confirmed in February 2021 in a child that presented with AFP in Khatlon Province. On 8 March, 2 more cVDPV2 cases with AFP were confirmed in Hisor District. In addition, 3 environmental samples from the newly established surveillance site in Dushanbe were reported cVDPV2 positive.
