Original article
English
el Nageh M, Khadre MA, Gould EA.
Faculty of Medicine, University of Al Fateh, Tripoli, Libya.
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1988;82(5):758-60.
Abstract
Analysis of the records available show that the introduction in Libya of a compulsory immunization programme against poliomyelitis was followed by a substantial decrease in the incidence of paralytic poliomyelitis. Nevertheless, the annual incidence is still higher than in many western industrialized countries. We have conducted a survey of neutralizing poliovirus antibodies in human sera. In the group aged 19 years and upwards, i.e., those born before compulsory immunization, 65% had detectable neutralizing antibodies against the 3 viruses, and on average 73% were positive for 2 of the 3 virus serotypes and 85% for only one. The overall proportions in schoolchildren 6-18 years old were lower than in adults. In adults and schoolchildren from 6-18 years old, the highest proportion of positives was against type 2 poliovirus. For infants up to 5 years old the figures overall were higher but the type 2 serotype did not predominate. Surprisingly, the anticipated increase in proportions of positive antisera in 7 year olds, following a booster immunization at the time of school entry, was not apparent, implying inadequate coverage. The results appear to show that stricter measures to control the rate of coverage of immunization are required to reduce the relatively high incidence of paralytic poliomyelitis in Libya.
Keywords: Analysis of neutralizing antibody responses against poliovirus types 1, 2 and 3 in the Tripoli area of the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
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