A seroprevalence study of poliovirus antibody among primary schoolchildren in Korea

We aimed to determine the seroprevalence of poliovirus antibody in Korea by using the cell culture neutralization method recommended by the WHO. A total of 500 sera collected from children at eight primary schools in Kyunggi province were used for this study. We found that 82.2% of children were positive for all three types of poliovirus and antibody-positive rates for types I, II and III were 94.4, 96.6 and 86.8% respectively, indicating that seropositive rates for types I and II were considerably higher than for type III (P<0.0001). This result implies that the type III component of the oral polio vaccine should be evaluated further. Although a greater number of children, including young infants, need to be tested for seroprevalence, this study still provides us with valuable information on the effectiveness of vaccination against polioviruses in Korea.