Description of the situation
18 September 1996
Disease Outbreak Reported
An outbreak of paralytic illness has been reported by Albania. The first cases were reported in April 1996, but there was a sharp increase in cases occurring late July and August. Additional cases continue to be reported. The clinical picture was acute onset, asymmetric flaccid paralysis typical of poliomyelitis. A WHO team is assisting the Albanian Ministry of Health in investigating the outbreak. The team has investigated 66 cases of paralytic illness. There were seven deaths. WHO reference laboratories in Italy and the Netherlands have now isolated wild polio virus, type 1 from seven cases. The Ministry of Health, with the support of WHO, UNICEF and others is planning to immunize both adults and children with OPV.