An outbreak of poliomyelitis provoked by a wild poliovirus of type I was reported in Tajikistan in March. It is the first outbreak of imported poliomyelitis in WHO European region since it was certified polio-free in 2002. Uzbekistan has also reported one AFP case in Tashkent which was under investigation. The polio outbreak in the region can have severe adverse impact on public health and is a signal to introduction of a higher state of anti-epidemic preparedness in all neighbouring countries. Although the vaccination rate in Kyrgyzstan officially is around 95 percent, anecdotal evidences suggest that coverage might be less (around 60 percent) in certain areas, particularly among migrants and in remote settlements.
Source: glidenumber
