Assessment of immunity to polio among Rohingya children in Cox ’s Bazar, Bangladesh, 2018: A cross-sectional survey

by Concepcion F. Estivariz, Sarah D. Bennett, Jacquelyn S. Lickness, Leora R. Feldstein, William C. Weldon, Eva Leidman, Daniel C. Ehlman, Muhammad F. H. Khan, Jucy M. Adhikari, Mainul Hasan, Mallick M. Billah, M. Steven Oberste, A. S. M. Alamgir, Meerjady D. Flora BackgroundWe performed a cross-sectional survey in April –May 2018 among Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, to assess polio immunity and inform vaccination strategies. Methods and findingsRohingya children aged 1 –6 years (younger group) and 7–14 years (older group) were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling in makeshift settlements and simple random sampling in Nayapara registered camp. Surveyors asked parents/caregivers if the child received any oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) in Myanmar and, for y ounger children, if the child received vaccine in any of the 5 campaigns delivering bivalent OPV (serotypes 1 and 3) conducted during September 2017–April 2018 in Cox’s Bazar. Dried blood spot (DBS) specimens were tested for neutralizing antibodies to poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 in 580 younger and 297 older children. Titers ≥ 1:8 were considered protective. Among 632 children (335 aged 1–6 years, 297 aged 7–14 years) enrolled in the study in makeshift settlements, 51% were male and 89% had arrived after August 9, 2017. Among 245 children (all aged 1–6 years) enrolled in the study in Nayapara, 54% were male and 10% had arrived after August 9, 2017. Among younger children, 74% in makeshift sett...
Source: PLoS Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Source Type: research