Burundi has begun a mass polio vaccination campaign, its first since 2011, after 13 new cases were confirmed since the beginning of the year.
It is the first time the poliovirus type 2 has been detected in the country in more than three decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the extent of the outbreak of the crippling disease, it said.
The vaccination campaign started on Saturday and will target nearly three million children under seven years of age in the next four days, the agency said in a statement.
'Health emergency'
“The detection of the virus continues to constitute a national public health emergency, and subsequent vaccination rounds can be expected to follow in the coming months in order to protect Burundi’s children,” Health Minister Sylvie Nzeyimana is quoted as saying.
WHO said more than 12,000 vaccinators will be used to administer the vaccines.
There is no known cure for polio, which can only be prevented with vaccines.
The poliovirus type 2 is the most prevalent form of polio in Africa and accounted for most of polio outbreaks in the continent. More than 400 cases reported in 14 countries were detected last year.
