Immunity to poliomyelitis in Guatemala: a serological and virological survey

A mass poliomyelitis vaccination campaign, such as that under consideration in Guatemala, inevitably changes the immunological picture of a population by the artificial stimulation of antibodies in large numbers of individuals. It was therefore decided that before carrying out such a campaign, and to provide basic information for its conduct, a survey should be made to determine the degree of natural immunity to poliomyelitis and the amount of poliovirus and other enterovirus infection in the population, and to compare the poliovirus antibody titres of a small group of children who had already received Salk vaccine with those in unvaccinated children living in this area of probable high endemicity. The results of the survey show that both poliovirus and other enterovirus infections are common at an early age in Guatemala, and it is concluded that vaccination is most indicated for the 0-4-year-old group.