WHO Epidemiological Brief: Tajikistan polio outbreak and regional response: No. 1, 23 June 2010
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World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe
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2 p.
The WHO European Region has experienced the first importation of wild poliovirus since it was certified as poliomyelitis (polio) free in 2002. A sharp increase in early April 2010 in cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) prompted Tajikistan’s Government to request WHO to support an outbreak investigation. The WHO regional reference laboratory in Moscow, Russian Federation confirmed wild poliovirus type 1 as the cause of the outbreak on 23 April 2010. As of 22 June 2010, Tajikistan had reported 643 AFP cases; 275 were laboratory confirmed for wild poliovirus type 1 and 60 had been confirmed negative. There had been 14 deaths among the 275 confirmed polio cases (5.1%). Three rounds of national immunization days had taken place in Tajikistan and two rounds in Uzbekistan. In both, coverage was extremely high: over 99% of the targeted populations. Further rounds are expected in both countries and Kyrgyzstan will begin an immunization campaign in July.
The WHO European Region has experienced the first importation of wild poliovirus since it was certified as poliomyelitis (polio) free in 2002. A sharp increase in early April 2010 in cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) prompted Tajikistan’s Government to request WHO to support an outbreak investigation. The WHO regional reference laboratory in Moscow, Russian Federation confirmed wild poliovirus type 1 as the cause of the outbreak on 23 April 2010. As of 22 June 2010, Tajikistan had reported 643 AFP cases; 275 were laboratory confirmed for wild poliovirus type 1 and 60 had been confirmed negative. There had been 14 deaths among the 275 confirmed polio cases (5.1%). Three rounds of national immunization days had taken place in Tajikistan and two rounds in Uzbekistan. In both, coverage was extremely high: over 99% of the targeted populations. Further rounds are expected in both countries and Kyrgyzstan will begin an immunization campaign in July.