Response to a Large Polio Outbreak in a Setting of Conflict - Middle East, 2013-2015.

Response to a Large Polio Outbreak in a Setting of Conflict - Middle East, 2013-2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017 Mar 03;66(8):227-231 Authors: Mbaeyi C, Ryan MJ, Smith P, Mahamud A, Farag N, Haithami S, Sharaf M, Jorba JC, Ehrhardt D Abstract As the world advances toward the eradication of polio, outbreaks of wild poliovirus (WPV) in polio-free regions pose a substantial risk to the timeline for global eradication. Countries and regions experiencing active conflict, chronic insecurity, and large-scale displacement of persons are particularly vulnerable to outbreaks because of the disruption of health care and immunization services (1). A polio outbreak occurred in the Middle East, beginning in Syria in 2013 with subsequent spread to Iraq (2). The outbreak occurred 2 years after the onset of the Syrian civil war, resulted in 38 cases, and was the first time WPV was detected in Syria in approximately a decade (3,4). The national governments of eight countries designated the outbreak a public health emergency and collaborated with partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to develop a multiphase outbreak response plan focused on improving the quality of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance* and administering polio vaccines to >27 million children during multiple rounds of supplementary immunization activities (SIAs).(†) Successful implementation of the response plan led to containment and interruption of...
Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkl... - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Tags: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Source Type: research