Poliomyelitis Eradication Programme in Turkey

Abstract

In 1998, the World Health Organization aimed the global eradication of poliomyelitis by 2000. Poliomyelitis is the second disease that was planned to be eradicated after smallpox. Poliomyelitis eradication was succeeded in American Region. In European region the only country still reporting polio cases is Turkey. National Immunization Days (NIDs) programme, as a part of Poliomyelitis Eradication Programme (PEP) initiated in 1989, is going on since 1995. NIDs aimed to stop wild poliovirus transmission. Poliomyelitis eradication programme has four major strategies. The first strategy is improve to routine vaccination coverage levels and take out OPV3 vaccination ratio higher than 90.0%. OPV3 vaccination ratio was 81.0% in 1998 in Turkey. The second strategy was National Immunization Days(NIDs). In first and second rounds of NIDs vaccination coverage rates were 92.0% and 93.0% respectively in 1999. The third strategy was acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and wild poliovirus surveillance. 141 and 219 AFP cases except polio were reported 1997 and 1999 respectively in Turkey. The fourth strategy is Mopping-up campaigns. In both rounds of the mopping-up campaigns vaccination rates were 84.0% in 1997. In first and second rounds of mopping up campaign vaccination coverage rates were 83.0% and 87.0% respectively in 1999. Despite the surveillance studies since 1989, only 6 poliomyelitis cases were reported in 1997 and no case was reported in 1999 in Turkey.