Acute flaccid paralysis surveillance in Southern Italy

The purpose of this study was to report the results of the first two years' surveillance programme of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in Southern Italy (Calabria). All paediatric, neurology and infectious diseases wards from 23 hospitals were selected. Stool and serum samples to determine the presence of poliovirus were collected. Throat swabs were taken within 10 days of onset of illness. During the period March 1997-April 1999 eight cases of AFP were reported and four of them, three females and one male, occurred in children younger than 15 y of age, although none was confirmed as poliomyelitis. The rate of non-polio AFP in 1997 and 1998 was, respectively, 0.24 and 0.73 per 100 000 persons under 15 y of age. Our results demonstrated that an active surveillance has permitted us to immediately detect AFP cases and to exclude those due to wild polio virus and to vaccine-associated cases and indicated that our area seems to be 'polio-free'.