Polio vaccine vigilance needed after new outbreaks
17 September 2010
While the battle against polio has seemingly been won in most of the world, countries may be making a mistake in letting vaccination rates slip, say Canadian experts reported in the 8 September 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA 2010; 304: 1056).
Infectious poliomyelitis has been eradicated in much of the world over recent decades, but it still occurs regularly in 4 countries: Pakistan, Nigeria, Afghanistan and India.
An outbreak has now emerged in Tajikistan, which had been certified polio-free in 2002. Since last spring, 452 laboratory-confirmed cases of wild poliovirus have been reported, with 20 confirmed deaths.
At least 7 cases have now been reported in the neighbouring Russian Federation. Experts say even areas like North America, polio-free since 1994, cannot afford to be complacent, and vigilance is needed to keep vaccination rates high.
Last Reviewed: 17 September 2010
- 1. Voelker R. Have polio-free countries lost sight of need to keep vaccination rates high? JAMA 2010; 304(10): 1056. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.1288
