Lebanon is strengthening its prevention against poliomyelitis following the detection of cases in the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor. On 13 November, the Ministry of Health announced an emergency meeting chaired by Rakan Nassereddine. Measures include immunization of children, control of their immunization status at the border and early detection of suspected cases. The country remains polio-free for the twenty-third consecutive year, the ministry says.
The meeting involved the National Immunization Programme, scientific and advisory committees, as well as representatives of the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The teams responsible for epidemiological surveillance and preventive medicine also participated. Authorities want to prevent the introduction of the virus while successive seizures can disrupt access to routine doses.
Polio: check vaccinations at official passages
The Ministry calls for enhanced coordination with the General Security to verify the vaccination status of children entering official border crossings. Health teams should facilitate the recovery of missing doses, including with the oral polio vaccine. The aim is to take every opportunity to protect children who are under-vaccinated.
The communiqué does not provide for border closure. It describes a health prevention system based on verification and access to vaccination. It does not yet specify the operational schedule of each post or the additional resources to be allocated to it.
In Lebanese territory, health services must intensify routine immunization, with priority being given to low coverage areas. The Department also calls for enhanced surveillance and early identification of suspected cases. Technical coordination with the two UN agencies and health partners must accompany this preparation.
Free doses and a call to families
Parents are encouraged to check that their children have received all doses under the National Immunization Programme. The department insists not to postpone appointments. He indicated that vaccines were available free of charge in the primary health care centres of his network and its partners, as well as in private offices cooperating with him.
Rakan Nassereddine also solicited schools and professionals from the public and private sectors. Child protection, the Minister said, is based on their participation as well as that of the ministry’s teams. The announcement targets families already settled in Lebanon as well as children arriving in the country.
An identified Syrian home, then a third reported case
A joint communiqué from the Syrian Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF dated 9 November had confirmed a vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1, or VDPV1, in two children aged six to thirteen months with paralysis in Deir Ezzor. The first suspicious reports were dated 11 October. A campaign on 18 October had reached over 34,000 children under the age of five in the sectors concerned.
On 12 November, Yasser Farrouh, director of communicable and non-communicable diseases at the Syrian Ministry, announced a third case in Al-Mayadin. According to his statements, published on 13 November, he was a contact of the two previous cases in the same area. He confirmed the continuation and extension of vaccination campaigns. This announcement updates the results of two cases presented in the joint communiqué of 9 November.
The Syrian authorities and United Nations agencies attribute the protection gaps to interruptions in health services and difficulties in accessing immunization. They recall that the additional doses proposed during the campaigns complement, without replacing, the usual vaccination schedule.
Why vaccination remains at the heart of the answer
A vaccine derived poliovirus comes from a weakened strain used in the oral vaccine. In an underimmunized population, its prolonged circulation may result in genetic changes and may render it capable of causing paralysis. This mechanism differs from an infection with wild poliovirus.
WHO explains that the response is based on high vaccination coverage, capable of interrupting transmission. In particular, the oral vaccine affects intestinal immunity. Inactivated injectable vaccine protects against paralytic forms and does not contain live viruses. Health authorities determine the products and doses appropriate for programmes and campaigns.
Polio can cause permanent paralysis. Joint recommendations for families call for immediate consultation in the face of sudden weakness or paralysis of a member in a child. In Lebanon, requests for information on vaccination can be sent to the Ministry’s primary health care department at 01-830371 or 01-830372.
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