BACKGROUND For >2 decades, conflicts and recurrent natural disasters have maintained Somalia in a chronic humanitarian crisis. For nearly 5 years, 1 million children <10 years have not had access to lifesaving health services, including vaccination, resulting in the accumulation by 2012 of the largest geographically concentrated cohort of unvaccinated children in the world. This article reviews...

According to the WHO global polio eradication initiative acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance has been conducted in Belarus since 1996. For the period 1996-2002, 295AFP cases were reported. The main indices ofAFP surveillance in Belarus met the WHO criteria. A11 AFP cases, with the exception of one, were virologically examined. Polioviruses (PV) were isolated from 28 (9.5%) of them. Resul...

OBJECTIVES Investigations into the epidemiology of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) are an essential strategic component of the Global Poliomyelitis Eradication Initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), and are part of the certification process for polio eradication worldwide. This is an epidemiological report of AFP incidence in children less than 15 years old in southwest Iran. METHOD...

To the Editor: The Polio Eradication Campaign was started in Thailand in 1990, and the last polio case was reported in April 1997. Although no new cases have been reported, the Polio Eradication Campaign continues with 4 prevention strategies: high coverage with 3 doses of oral polio in children <1 year of age, acute flaccid paralysis surveillance , acute flaccid paralysis case investigation an...

OBJECTIVE In some patients with a history of polio, the electromyography is normal, not showing the typical neurogenic signs. The aim of this study was to explain the normal findings in electromyography, especially in paralytic polio. DESIGN Retrospective study. SUBJECTS/METHODS Concentric needle electromyography, macro electromyography (including single fibre electromyography) and neurogra...

With increase in the number of polio cases, Nigeria serves as the primary threat to a polio free world. The “good” the bad” and “the ugly” aspects of polio vaccination in Nigeria is discussed. In the ‘good’ aspect the number of wild poliovirus cases declined by over 90%, cVDPV 2 cases declined by 82%. Similarly, genetic clusters of both wild poliovirus type 1 and type 3 have reduced form 18 and...

Abbreviations: A/C: Area in Charges; AFP: Acute Flaccid Paralysis; AFP: Acute Flaccid Paralysis; CNIC: Computerized National Identity Card; cVDPV2: Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Vaccine Virus type 2; DDM: Direct Dis-imbursement Method; DEWS: Disease Early Warning System; DHMT: District Health Management Team; DHMT: District Health Management Team; DHOs: District Health Offices; DPT: Diphthe...