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Sero-epidemiological study of severe forms of paralytic poliomyelitis
Insights
Severe acute paralytic poliomyelitis disproportionately affected infants and urban populations. Most cases resulted in significant residual paralysis, highlighting the disease
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Poliomyelitis remains a significant public health concern due to its widespread impact.
- Severe forms of acute paralytic poliomyelitis present unique clinical challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinical, epidemiological, and virological profile of severe acute paralytic poliomyelitis cases.
- To analyze the outcomes and recovery patterns in affected children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective case series analysis of 74 severe acute paralytic poliomyelitis patients.
- Data collection included clinical presentation, demographics, vaccination history, and virological confirmation.
- Follow-up assessments documented recovery status and degree of residual paralysis.
Main Results:
- Severe cases constituted 32% of all paralytic poliomyelitis admissions.
- Highest incidence was observed in infants aged 6-12 months (45.95%), with a male predominance (2.08:1).
- Urban areas showed a higher prevalence; 12.2% of cases had received ≥3 oral poliovaccine doses.
- Fever and respiratory symptoms were most common; 90.5% were virologically confirmed.
- Only 4.2% of patients achieved complete recovery, while 95.8% experienced residual paralysis.
Conclusions:
- Severe acute paralytic poliomyelitis predominantly affects young children and urban populations.
- Despite vaccination efforts, a significant proportion of severe cases lead to long-term disability.
- Urgent public health strategies are needed to prevent and manage severe poliomyelitis cases.
Abstract:
Poliomyelitis has assumed immense public health importance owing to the magnitude of problem. The present study describes clinical, epidemiological and virological profile of seventy four cases of severe forms of acute paralytic poliomyelitis admitted to Kalawati Saran Children Hospital, New Delhi, during the period from August, 1986 to May, 1987. Thirty two per cent of total paralytic poliomyelitis cases were diagnosed as severe cases. Highest incidence (45.95%) of the cases were in the age group of 6-12 months and male to female ratio was 2.08:1. There was preponderance of cases from urban area. Among all the cases, 12.2% had received three or more doses of oral poliovaccine. Fever and respiratory involvement were the commonest symptoms. Sixty seven patients (90.5%) were virologically or serologically confirmed as an acute poliomyelitis due to any of the three poliovirus type. On follow up of the cases, complete recovery could be seen only in 4.2% of cases with varying degree of residual paralysis in 95.8% cases.