Key result
A public health response to vaccine-derived polioviruses in Guatemala achieved 93% vaccination coverage among children aged 6 months to <7 years, with no evidence of circulating VDPV found.
Why the study?
Three genetically unrelated vaccine-derived polioviruses were detected in 2019 following the implementation of wastewater-based poliovirus surveillance in Guatemala in 2018.
Observational
Detection of ambiguous vaccine-derived polioviruses in wastewater highlights the risk of poliomyelitis reemergence in areas with low vaccine coverage, prompting successful vaccination campaigns and surveillance.
Successful VDPV response supports targeted campaigns; leaves open need for sustained surveillance in low-coverage regions.
Guatemala implemented wastewater-based poliovirus surveillance in 2018, and three genetically unrelated vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) were detected in 2019. The Ministry of Health (MoH) response included event investigation through institutional and community retrospective case searches for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) during 2018-2020 and a bivalent oral polio/measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination campaign in September 2019. This response was reviewed by an international expert team in July 2021. During the campaign, 93% of children 6 months <7 years of age received a polio-containing vaccine dose. No AFP cases were detected in the community search; institutional retrospective searches found 37% of unreported AFP cases in 2018‒2020. No additional VDPV was isolated from wastewater. No evidence of circulating VDPV was found; the 3 isolated VDPVs were classified as ambiguous VDPVs by the international team of experts. These detections highlight risk for poliomyelitis reemergence in countries with low polio vaccine coverage.
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Rodríguez et al. (2023) conducted an observational in Vaccine-derived polioviruses. Public health response including vaccination campaign and retrospective case searches was evaluated on Detection of acute flaccid paralysis cases and circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses. A public health response to vaccine-derived polioviruses in Guatemala achieved 93% vaccination coverage among children aged 6 months to <7 years, with no evidence of circulating VDPV found.
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