Strengthening Acute Flaccid Paralysis Surveillance Through the Village Polio Volunteers Program in Somalia

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 67; no. 6; pp. 941 - 946
• Main Authors: Mbaeyi, Chukwuma, Mohamed, Abdinoor, Owino, Brian Ogola, Mengistu, Kumlachew F, Ehrhardt, Derek, Elsayed, Eltayeb Ahmed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 31.08.2018
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Disease Eradication - methods; Disease Outbreaks - prevention & control; Epidemiological Monitoring; Feces - virology; Humans; Paraplegia - epidemiology; Paraplegia - virology; Poliomyelitis - epidemiology; Poliovirus; Public Health - methods; Somalia - epidemiology; Volunteers; Somalia; acute flaccid paralysis; Somalia; community-based surveillance; surveillance; polio
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciy180

Abstract Background Surveillance for cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) is a key strategy adopted for the eradication of polio. Detection of poliovirus circulation is often predicated on the ability to identify AFP cases and test their stool specimens for poliovirus infection in a timely manner. The Village Polio Volunteers (VPV) program was established in 2013 in a bid to strengthen polio eradication activities in Somalia, including AFP surveillance, given the country's vulnerability to polio outbreaks. Methods To assess the impact of the VPV program on AFP surveillance, we determined case counts, case-reporting sources, and nonpolio AFP rates in the years before and after program introduction (ie, 2011-2016). We also compared the stool specimen adequacy rates and timeliness of cases reported by VPVs to those reported by other sources. Results In the years after program introduction, VPVs accounted for a high proportion of AFP cases reported in Somalia. AFP case counts rose from 148 cases in 2012, the year before program introduction, to 279 cases in 2015, when VPVs accounted for 40% of reported cases. Further, from 2012 to 2015, the nonpolio AFP rate improved from 2.8 to 4.8 cases per 100000 persons aged <15 years. Stool specimen adequacy rates have been consistently high, and AFP cases have been detected in a timelier manner since the program was introduced. Conclusions Given the impact of the VPV program on improving AFP surveillance indicators in Somalia, similar community-based programs could play a crucial role in enhancing surveillance activities in countries with limited healthcare infrastructure. This article describes the contributions of Village Polio Volunteers, a community-based program, to strengthening acute flaccid paralysis surveillance activities in Somalia, in furtherance of global efforts to eradicate polio.