Polio Outbreak Under Control, Vaccination Campaigns Held

Washington, January 8, 2001 (PAHO) - A leading physician monitoring an outbreak of poliomyelitis in Haiti and the Dominican Republic said Monday that the situation appears to be under control and urged countries not to retreat from achieving and maintaining high vaccination coverage.

Dr. Ciro de Quadros, Director of the Division of Vaccines and Immunization at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), praised the response to the situation by the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, saying "their work has been outstanding." De Quadros returned from Haiti over the weekend.

According to de Quadros, one case of poliomyelitis due to a Polio Type 1 vaccine-derived virus was confirmed in Haiti in August 2000. Subsequent intensive case searches throughout the country were conducted during October, November and December 2000, and 14 suspected cases were investigated epidemiologically, clinically and by the laboratory. So far, results have been completed for six of these cases, all negative for poliomielitis. Results for the other eight cases are expected within the next two weeks. Haiti conducted a countrywide vaccination campaign Sunday.

In the Dominican Republic, there have been six poliomyelitis cases due to a vaccine-derived poliovirus Type 1. Intensive investigation over the last few weeks did not uncover additional cases. Two weeks ago the government there vaccinated 1.2 million children during a national campaign.

The Pan American Health Organization sent 16 epidemiologists to support the health ministries in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The outbreak caused serious concern because the Western Hemisphere has been free of wild poliovirus circulation since 1991, and because the virus identified is an unusual derivative of the Sabin type 1 oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV).

A group of experts met a few weeks ago at the Pan American Health Organization in Washington, D.C., to discuss the findings. After intensive epidemiological investigations, de Quadros said the cases were either unvaccinated or had not had the complete doses of polio vaccine.

"The outbreak is a powerful reminder that even polio-free areas need to maintain high coverage with polio vaccine until polio eradication has been achieved," de Quadros said recently.

Travelers to the Dominican Republic and Haiti who are not adequately immunized must be considered at risk of acquiring poliomyelitis and should make certain they are fully immunized against polio, De Quadros said.

The Pan American Health Organization, founded in 1902, works with all the nations in the Western Hemisphere to improve health for all. PAHO also serves as the regional office of the World Health Organization.