title: Outbreak of type 1 wild poliovirus infection in adults, Namibia, 2006.
abstract: A paralytic poliomyelitis outbreak occurred in Namibia in 2006, almost exclusively among adults. Nineteen cases were virologically confirmed as due to wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), and 26 were classified as polio compatible. Eleven deaths occurred among confirmed and compatible cases (24%). Of the confirmed cases, 97% were aged 15-45 years, 89% were male, and 71% lived in settlement areas in Windhoek. The virus was genetically related to a virus detected in 2005 in Angola, which had been imported earlier from India. The outbreak is likely due to immunity gaps among adults who were inadequately vaccinated during childhood. This outbreak underscores the ongoing risks posed by poliovirus importations, the importance of maintaining strong acute flaccid paralysis surveillance even in adults, and the need to maintain high population immunity to avoid polio outbreaks in the preeradication period and outbreaks due to vaccine-derived polioviruses in the posteradication era.
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization (WHO) Intercountry Program Office, Harare, Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: Nasir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yusuf
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health and Social Services.
authors.forename: Rosalina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Wee
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health and Social Services.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Global Immunization Division, Center for Global Health.
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.affiliation: WHO Country Office, Windhoek, Namibia.
authors.forename: Desta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tiruneh
authors.affiliation: WHO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chauvin
authors.affiliation: Global Immunization Division, Center for Global Health.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bossarte
authors.affiliation: WHO Country Office, Windhoek, Namibia.
authors.forename: Custodia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mandlhate
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization (WHO) Intercountry Program Office, Harare, Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: Abdoulie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jack
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Communicable Disease, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Nicksy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gumede
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Communicable Disease, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mawela
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Cara C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pallansch
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health and Social Services.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Allies
authors.affiliation: Global Immunization Division, Center for Global Health.
authors.forename: Jeannette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rainey
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization (WHO) Intercountry Program Office, Harare, Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: Noah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mataruse
authors.affiliation: WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Deo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nshimirimana
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009276:Namibia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011051:Poliomyelitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D019371:Topography, Medical; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Namibia; disease outbreak; paralysis; poliomyelitis; type 1 wild poliovirus