The first round of mandatory additional immunization against polio has begun in Ukraine!
On August 28, Ukraine learned that a polio outbreak has been declared in Ukraine, because a circulating derivative of the poliovirus type 1 vaccine strain was detected in children with flaccid paralysis in Transcarpathia.
This means that the live vaccine virus has passed through many organisms of unvaccinated children, made many mutations (up to 26) and acquired pathogenic properties, that is, it is capable of causing the disease. Studies confirm that the virus has been circulating in Transcarpathia for at least one year.
Information note
Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease caused by a virus. There are poliovirus types 1, 2 and 3. Usually the virus is transmitted fecal-oral (through contaminated water, food, toys, household items), but airborne transmission is possible (as with the flu). The virus is resistant in the external environment. The most vulnerable group are children under 5 years of age.
There are several forms of manifestation of the disease:
non-paralytic forms:
- visceral (80% of all poliomyelitis diseases) - there are nonspecific signs of a cold, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting;
- serous meningitis (15%);
Paralytic form (1-5% of all poliomyelitis diseases) - occurs in the form of facial nerve neuritis, flaccid paresis and paralysis (loss of motor function of the arms or legs, usually asymmetric).
After suffering a paralytic form of poliomyelitis, 60% of children remain disabled for life.
In the 1940s, 2-3 thousand people in Ukraine were ill with polio every year. Since 1959, vaccination with a live oral vaccine (in pills) has been introduced, and this has reduced the number of cases to isolated cases. The last case of poliomyelitis in Ukraine was registered in 1993.
According to WHO recommendations, to contain the outbreak, children under 5 years of age should be vaccinated 3 times with an interval of at least 28 days with a live oral polio vaccine, and children from 6 to 10 years of age should be vaccinated once as a booster dose. Because only a live vaccine produces not only general (humoral immunity), but also creates local protection in the child's intestine, which is very important during an outbreak, since the virus first enters the intestine.
According to the order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine dated 09.10.2015 No. 671 “On approval of the action plan of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine on immunization of the population against poliomyelitis for 2015”, the first round of mandatory additional immunization of children against poliomyelitis began in Ukraine on October 20, 2015.
The first round will last 3 weeks - from October 20 to November 10, 2015. All children aged 2 months to 5 years 11 months 29 days are subject to mandatory vaccination against poliomyelitis in the first round, regardless of whether they are fully vaccinated according to the vaccination schedule or not vaccinated at all.
The second round will begin in 30 days, the third - in 60 days. All children during the round of immunization will receive 3 doses of the polio vaccine.
Unfortunately, today there is no separate polio vaccine in the children's medical centers of the MM "Dobrobut". However, the polio vaccine is available in sufficient quantities in state children's clinics.
