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Surveillance for poliovirus is just as important as ever

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Surveillance for poliovirus is just as important as everIt has been 25 years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Western Pacific Region, including Australia, to be polio-free in 2000. 1 While the region has maintained its wild poliovirus-free status each year since then, as assessed by the WHO Polio Regional Certification Commission, recent global events concerning vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) outbreaks and results of wastewater testing are a reminder that the region cannot be complacent about the risk of polio importations and outbreaks until the global certification of polio eradication.Australia has well-established national surveillance systems for poliovirus types 1, 2 and 3, supported by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.This includes syndromic surveillance for cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in children younger than 15 years of age, wastewater surveillance and enterovirus surveillance and a poliovirus detection outbreak response plan.2,3 AFP represents the tip of the iceberg in relation to poliovirus infections, with less than 1% causing paralysis and approximately 90% remaining asymptomatic.For this reason, it is critical all AFP cases are fully investigated, which involves notification of cases, completion of an online clinical questionnaire and the collection of adequate stool specimens from the patient (Fig. 1).Australia has two clinical surveillance systems for AFP: one coordinated by the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) and the other by the Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) network.4,5 AFP surveillance was established by APSU in 1995, and more than 1300 paediatricians and clinicians are enrolled nationally to notify rare childhood diseases, complications of common diseases or adverse effects of treatment each month, and, in addition for AFP cases, complete an online clinical questionnaire and arrange for collection of adequate stool specimens; https://my.fuzee.com/apsu-vidrl/ afpquestionnaire.html.PAEDS was established in late 2007 and is now based at eight tertiary paediatric hospitals in Adelaide (Women's and Children's Hospital), Brisbane (Queensland Children's Hospital), Darwin (Royal Darwin Hospital), Melbourne (Monash Medical Centre and The Royal Children's Hospital), Perth (Perth Children's Hospital) and Sydney (The Sydney Children's Hospital and The Children's Hospital Westmead).PAEDS nurses routinely review the hospital records for cases of AFP, collate the clinical history and arrange for collection of adequate stool specimens.While most AFP cases are ascertained by the

Source: Internal Medicine Journal

DOI: 10.1111/imj.70360

Authors: Bruce Thorley, Linda Hobday, Anne Morris, Philip Britton

Institutions: The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Peter Doherty Institute, Children's Hospital at Westmead

Language: English

Topic: Viral Infections and Immunology Research

Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,570