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Polio

Background: Provides a definition of eradication and of the disease: that it affects mostly children, results in paralysis in some cases and is preventable through vaccination. 

The disease is nearly eradicated, but remains in three countries, which reported 22 cases in 2017. Eradication practices continue with 400 million vaccinations annually. 

Surveillance: Virus detection activities currently take place in 70 countries to both detect new cases and gain evidence for certification of eradication.  

Submitted by elamb on

Nigeria is one of the three countries in the world with ongoing wild poliovirus (WPV) transmission, alongside Afghanistan and Pakistan. Nigeria also experiences outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2). Following the detection of WPV1 in northern Nigeria in 2016, after more than two years without WPV transmission, the country continues to implement an emergency response to the detected WPV1 and cVDPV2 strains. This resurgence of polio cases underscores the risk posee by low-level undetected transmission and the need to strengthen subnational surveillance. High quality acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance is essential to rapidly detect and respond to on-going polio transmission.

Objective:

We evaluated the Ebonyi state AFP surveillance system to assess its usefulness, performance and key system attributes.

Referenced File
Submitted by elamb on

The occurrence of global polio is at its lowest level, yet the goal of eradication remains elusive with the ongoing circulation in the three remaining endemic countries. Developed countries have a low index of suspicion for polio – relying on astute clinicians to detect imported cases and high immunisation rates to prevent community outbreaks. Australia, like all polio-free countries, remains at risk of a polio importation until polio is eradicated globally. Gaps in routine immunisation coverage coupled with weaknesses in surveillance may put developed countries, such as Australia, at risk of high impact polio outbreaks.

Objective

Few countries have tested the sensitivity of their polio surveillance systems, undertaken a comprehensive risk assessment or questioned whether existing polio surveillance strategies are the optimal surveillance at this stage of the global eradication initiative. To address this issue, a risk assessment and review of Australia’s polio surveillance systems were undertaken to assess the potential risk of polio introduction by an infected person, product or specimen.

Submitted by rmathes on
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