BMJ 2013;347:f6778 doi: 10.1136/bmj.f6778 (Published 11 November 2013)
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NEWS Syrian refugees could bring polio to Europe, experts warn Sophie Hives-Wood London
Two German public health experts have warned that Europe could be in danger of an outbreak of polio brought by Syrian refugees.
Martin Eichner and Stefan Brockman explained in a Lancet report that in European countries where vaccination coverage was low, such as Ukraine, Bosnia, and Austria, polio could be introduced back into the European Union from people fleeing the conflict in Syria.1
The director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Marc Sprenger, agreed. He told the BMJ, “Large numbers of people are leaving Syria. If poliovirus is circulating in Syria, it should be assumed that a proportion of refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants may also be carrying the virus.”
As only one in 200 people with polio developed obvious symptoms, the virus could go unrecognised in EU countries for almost a year, the Lancet report warned. The World Health Organization has confirmed an outbreak of polio in the north east of Syria,2 which had been free from the virus since 1999, and said that 10 children had been left paralysed. Emergency vaccination campaigns in and around Syria have resulted in 650 000 children being vaccinated.3
Sprenger warned, “There are also pockets of the [European] population that are un- or underimmunised who are at greater risk of infection and disease. It is estimated that 12 million people in the EU under the age of 29 have not been vaccinated or completed the recommended national primary vaccination schedule for polio.
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“Unvaccinated pockets across Europe need to be identified by the national authorities, and targeted actions to increase vaccination coverage in these populations need to be addressed urgently.” Benjamin Neuman, a virologist at the University of Reading, said, “Vaccination is never perfect, so despite being vaccinated a small percentage of children in the UK would be at risk of contracting polio if they were exposed to the virus. Until the virus is completely extinct, it is essential that we continue to vaccinate our children.”
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has said that the overall threat of polio depended on the vaccination status of EU citizens. People who have had the oral polio vaccination had a very low risk of contracting polio, it said. It recommended that while an emergency immunisation programme was carried out in Syria EU member states gave high priority to polio vaccination, particularly in vulnerable or undervaccinated groups. 1 2 3
Eichner M, Brockman S. Polio emergence in Syria and Israel endangers Europe. Lancet 8 Nov 2013, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62220-5. Arie S. Polio outbreak leads to calls for a “vaccination ceasefire” in Syria. BMJ 2013;347:f6682. World Health Organization, UN Children’s Fund. Over 20 million children to be vaccinated in Syria and neighbouring countries against polio, say WHO and UNICEF. http://reliefweb. int/report/syrian-arab-republic/over-20-million-children-be-vaccinated-syria-andneighbouring-countries.
Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f6778 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2013
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
Page 1 of 1
News
NEWS Syrian refugees could bring polio to Europe, experts warn Sophie Hives-Wood London
Two German public health experts have warned that Europe could be in danger of an outbreak of polio brought by Syrian refugees.
Martin Eichner and Stefan Brockman explained in a Lancet report that in European countries where vaccination coverage was low, such as Ukraine, Bosnia, and Austria, polio could be introduced back into the European Union from people fleeing the conflict in Syria.1
The director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Marc Sprenger, agreed. He told the BMJ, “Large numbers of people are leaving Syria. If poliovirus is circulating in Syria, it should be assumed that a proportion of refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants may also be carrying the virus.”
As only one in 200 people with polio developed obvious symptoms, the virus could go unrecognised in EU countries for almost a year, the Lancet report warned. The World Health Organization has confirmed an outbreak of polio in the north east of Syria,2 which had been free from the virus since 1999, and said that 10 children had been left paralysed. Emergency vaccination campaigns in and around Syria have resulted in 650 000 children being vaccinated.3
Sprenger warned, “There are also pockets of the [European] population that are un- or underimmunised who are at greater risk of infection and disease. It is estimated that 12 million people in the EU under the age of 29 have not been vaccinated or completed the recommended national primary vaccination schedule for polio.
For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
“Unvaccinated pockets across Europe need to be identified by the national authorities, and targeted actions to increase vaccination coverage in these populations need to be addressed urgently.” Benjamin Neuman, a virologist at the University of Reading, said, “Vaccination is never perfect, so despite being vaccinated a small percentage of children in the UK would be at risk of contracting polio if they were exposed to the virus. Until the virus is completely extinct, it is essential that we continue to vaccinate our children.”
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has said that the overall threat of polio depended on the vaccination status of EU citizens. People who have had the oral polio vaccination had a very low risk of contracting polio, it said. It recommended that while an emergency immunisation programme was carried out in Syria EU member states gave high priority to polio vaccination, particularly in vulnerable or undervaccinated groups. 1 2 3
Eichner M, Brockman S. Polio emergence in Syria and Israel endangers Europe. Lancet 8 Nov 2013, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62220-5. Arie S. Polio outbreak leads to calls for a “vaccination ceasefire” in Syria. BMJ 2013;347:f6682. World Health Organization, UN Children’s Fund. Over 20 million children to be vaccinated in Syria and neighbouring countries against polio, say WHO and UNICEF. http://reliefweb. int/report/syrian-arab-republic/over-20-million-children-be-vaccinated-syria-andneighbouring-countries.
Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f6778 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2013
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
