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Response to a Large Polio Outbreak in a Setting of Conflict — Middle East, 2013–2015

2017; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Volume: 66; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.15585/mmwr.mm6608a6

1545-861X

Chukwuma Mbaeyi, Michael J. Ryan, Philip Smith, Abdirahman Mahamud, Noha H. Farag, Salah Haithami, Magdi Sharaf, Jaume Jorba, Derek Ehrhardt,

Whipple's Disease and Interleukins

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 the outbreak within 6 months of its identification. The concerted approach adopted in response to this outbreak could serve as a model for responding to polio outbreaks in settings of conflict and political instability.