EPIDEMIOLOGY OF POLIOMYELITIS IN NORTHWESTERN ETHIOPIA
Abstract
Objectives: To determine the magnitude of poliomyelitis and assess its epidemiological
features.
Design: A cross-sectional community based, house-to-house survey.
Setting: Six urban and ten rural villages in Gondar Zuria district, north-western Ethiopia.
Subjects: Twelve thousand children aged 1-15 years residing in the randomly selected areas
were ended in the study to identify children with walking abnormality. Paralytic poliomyelitis
is considered as flaccid paralysis in one or both legs with normal sensations and acute onset
without progression.
Results: Out of 12,000 children aged 1-15 years enrolled, 20 were found to have paralytic
poliomyelitis. The prevalence of residual poliomyelitis was found to be 2.1 per 1000 children
aged 1-15 years with the estimated annual incidence rate of 7.7 per 100,000 population. Sixty
percent of the cases were from urban areas and 55% of the cases were males.
Conclusions: The magnitude of paralytic poliomyelitis is high in the study area, thus
expanding the expanded programme of immunisations with a strong surveillance system is
suggested.
features.
Design: A cross-sectional community based, house-to-house survey.
Setting: Six urban and ten rural villages in Gondar Zuria district, north-western Ethiopia.
Subjects: Twelve thousand children aged 1-15 years residing in the randomly selected areas
were ended in the study to identify children with walking abnormality. Paralytic poliomyelitis
is considered as flaccid paralysis in one or both legs with normal sensations and acute onset
without progression.
Results: Out of 12,000 children aged 1-15 years enrolled, 20 were found to have paralytic
poliomyelitis. The prevalence of residual poliomyelitis was found to be 2.1 per 1000 children
aged 1-15 years with the estimated annual incidence rate of 7.7 per 100,000 population. Sixty
percent of the cases were from urban areas and 55% of the cases were males.
Conclusions: The magnitude of paralytic poliomyelitis is high in the study area, thus
expanding the expanded programme of immunisations with a strong surveillance system is
suggested.
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