Paralytic poliomyelitis in England & Wales, 1970–84

In 1962 the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) became responsible for the Poliomyelitis Surveillance Scheme for England and Wales, which since 1970 has included the World Health Organisation (WHO) enquiry into Acute Persisting Spinal Paralysis. All the records have been kept, including those of patients who were later considered not to have had poliomyelitis. This paper reviews the cases between 1970-84 of patients normally resident in England and Wales, where the clinical features of the illness were considered by the clinician in charge to be those of poliomyelitis and in which either poliovirus was isolated or there was serological evidence of recent infection. Seventy cases met these criteria. Two patients died. A wild strain of poliovirus was isolated in 19 cases; a vaccine-like strain in 27; an intermediate strain in 5; and in 19 cases the strain was not known or there was no isolate. Eleven patients had a history of overseas travel; 17 had been vaccinated recently; and 12 had been in contact with a recent vaccine. In the remaining 30 cases, the source of the infection was not found. Other details, including the age distribution, vaccination history and the laboratory findings are discussed.