The Israeli public health response to wild poliovirus importation

• Published in: The Lancet infectious diseases Vol. 15; no. 10; pp. 1236 - 1242
• Main Authors: Kaliner, Ehud, MD, Kopel, Eran, Dr, Anis, Emilia, MD, Mendelson, Ella, Prof, Moran-Gilad, Jacob, Prof, Shulman, Lester M, Prof, Singer, Shepherd R, MD, Manor, Yossi, Mgr, Somekh, Eli, Prof, Rishpon, Shmuel, Prof, Leventhal, Alex, Prof, Rubin, Lisa, MD, Tasher, Diana, MD, Honovich, Mira, MPH, Moerman, Larisa, MD, Shohat, Tamy, Prof, Bassal, Ravit, PhD, Sofer, Danit, PhD, Gdalevich, Michael, MD, Lev, Boaz, MD, Gamzu, Ronni, Prof, Grotto, Itamar, Prof
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2015; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Bedouins; Carrier State - diagnosis; Child; Child, Preschool; Communicable Disease Control - methods; Communication; Environmental Microbiology; Epidemiological Monitoring; Female; Health surveillance; Humans; Immunization; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infectious Disease; Infectious diseases; Israel - epidemiology; Laboratories; Male; Meetings; Poliomyelitis; Poliomyelitis - prevention & control; Poliovirus - isolation & purification; Population; Public health; Public Health Administration; Travel; Vaccines; Virology; Israel; Pakistan
• ISSN: 1473-3099; 1474-4457
• DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(15)00064-X

Summary In 2013, a silent wild poliovirus type 1 importation and sustained transmission event occurred in southern Israel. With the aim of preventing clinical poliomyelitis and ensuring virus re-elimination, the public health response to the importation event included intensification of clinical and environmental surveillance activities, enhancement of vaccine coverage, and supplemental immunisation with a bivalent oral polio vaccine against wild poliovirus types 1 and 3. A national campaign launched in August, 2013, resulted in vaccination of 943 587 children younger than 10 years (79% of the eligible target population). Expanded environmental surveillance (roughly 80% population coverage) documented a gradual disappearance of wild poliovirus type 1 in the country from September, 2013, to April, 2014. No paralytic poliomyelitis case was detected. A prompt extensive and coordinated national public health response, implemented on the basis of evidence-based decision making, successfully contained this serious importation and sustained transmission event of wild poliovirus to Israel. On April 28, 2015, WHO officially declared Israel as a polio-free country.