OUTBREAK OF PARALYTIC POLIOMYELITIS IN ALBANIA, 1996 - HIGH ATTACK RATE AMONG ADULTS AND APPARENT INTERRUPTION OF TRANSMISSION FOLLOWING NATIONWIDE MASS VACCINATION

After >10 years without detection of any cases of wild virus-associate d poliomyelitis, a large outbreak of poliomyelitis occurred in Albania in 1996, A total of 138 paralytic cases occurred, of which 16 (12%) w ere fatal, The outbreak was due to wild poliovirus type 1, isolated fr om 69 cases, An attack rate of 10 per 100,000 population was observed among adults aged 19-25 years who were born during a time of declining wild poliovirus circulation and had been vaccinated with two doses of monovalent oral poliovirus vaccines (OPVs) that may have been exposed to ambient temperatures for prolonged periods, Control of the epidemi c was achieved by two rounds of mass vaccination with trivalent oral p oliovirus vaccine targeted to persons aged 0-50 years, This outbreak u nderscores the ongoing threat of importation of wild poliovirus into E uropean countries, the importance of delivering potent vaccine through an adequate cold chain, and the effectiveness of national OPV mass va ccination campaigns for outbreak control.