Overview
AFP
| Generalities | |
| Agent | Virus: poliovirus (genus enterovirus), with 3 serotypes: 1, 2 and 3. |
| Incubation | 7-14 days (3-35 days). |
| Period of communicability | -7-10 days before onset, up to 3-6 weeks after onset. -Virus present in throat 36 hours after infection, up to 1 week. -Virus present in feces 72 hours after infection, up to 3-6 weeks. |
| Reservoir | Humans. |
| Modes of transmission | -Person-to-person: faecal-oral route, and rarely pharyngeal -Rarely through water and food. |
| Clinical | -90-95% asymptomatic infection -4-8% mild illness (influenza-like illness or gastro-intestintal illness) -1-2% aseptic meningitis -<1% paralytic poliomyeltis |
| Worldwide | Endemic countries in 2013: Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. In May 2014, WHO declared polio as public health event of international concern. |
| Lebanon | Last local cases in 1994. Last imported case in 2003. Lebanon declared polio-free in 2002. |
| Control objective | Worldwide eradication initiative (in 1988). Since 1999, worldwide, the poliovirus type 2 has been eradicated. |
| National figures |
| Figure 1: Reported acute poliomyelitis in Lebanon, 1961-2013 (Source: MOPH) |
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| The last local cases were reported in 1994 (one in the North and one in the South) In 1995, an imported case from Africa was reported (the child has the onset in Africa and came to Lebanon for case management). In 2003, a confirmed polio was reported in the North. The case did not travel. The virus was identified as from India source. Two other persons were infected by the virus (1 sibling and 1 cousin). Two national campaigns were conducted. No additional cases were found despite active search. |
| International figures |
| Figure 2: Reported acute poliomyelititsP cases in the world, 2008-2012 (Source: WHO) |
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