An Epidemiological evaluation of Acute Flaccid Paralysis surveillance performance in Ondo State; 2016-2020

Abstract

Background:The last case of the indigenous Wild Polio Virus in Ondo state was in 2008, and the last Polio compatible case was in 2010. Poliovirus transmission was interrupted through the adherence to the World Health Organization's (WHO) guidelines, which included acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance. We wanted to describe the state's AFP surveillance performance during the last five years, from 2016 to 2020, using WHO-recommended indicators and find areas where it could improve. Methods:Between January 2016 and December 2020, AFP case-based surveillance data was used to undertake a retrospective review of records. Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis, and Quantum Geographic Information System was used for mapping (GIS). Results: From 2016 to 2020, a total of 1,096 AFP cases were reported, none of which were confirmed as Poliomyelitis. The majority of the cases (77.2 percent) were found in children under the age of five. Males made up more than half of the cases (53.4%). More than 89 percent of reported cases received three or more OPV doses. Between 2016 and 2020, there was a 79 percent decline in reported cases. Between 2016 and 2020, the average Non-Polio AFP rate was 11.2 per 100,000, with a stool adequacy of 98.4%. Conclusion:AFP surveillance in Ondo state met the minimum WHO targets during the study period, according to the findings. However, because of the possibility of poliovirus being imported from endemic countries, which might threaten Nigeria's polio-free status, the sensitization of all surveillance actors and active case search should be strengthened, particularly in underperforming local government areas (LGAs).