Biomaterial Database

Poliomyelitis epidemic in the Netherlands, 1978. 1979

H Bijkerk

Some provisional data are given of the polio-epidemic in The Netherlands in 1978. Contrary to previous outbreaks, the present epidemic did not only affect areas with low vaccination acceptance rates, cases were also reported from many municipalities with acceptance rates of 90% and over. The epidemic caused by type 1 started mid-April 1978 in the centre of the country. Up to 1st November 110 cases were reported from a belt running from South-West (Zeeland) to North-East (Overijssel). Only one death occurred among the 80 paralyzed cases. The epidemic exclusively struck a population of some Protestant denominations which mostly reject vaccination on religious grounds. The majority of the cases belong to a population of about 66,000 individuals under the age of 27, who were not vaccinated on religious grounds. No case of polio, however, was found in about 384,000 individuals under the age of 27 who has not been vaccinated on other than religious grounds. No case of polio occurred in the vaccinated (inactivated poliovaccine) population. The exclusive spread of the epidemic in a poorly vaccinated but coherent population, whose members are thoroughy mixed in an extremely well vaccinated population (annual acceptance rate about 95%) is discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009426	Netherlands	Country located in EUROPE. It is bordered by the NORTH SEA, BELGIUM, and GERMANY. Constituent areas are Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten, formerly included in the NETHERLANDS ANTILLES.	Holland,Kingdom of the Netherlands
D010342	Patient Acceptance of Health Care	Patients' willingness to receive health care.	Acceptability of Health Care,Health Care Seeking Behavior,Acceptability of Healthcare,Acceptors of Health Care,Health Care Utilization,Nonacceptors of Health Care,Patient Acceptance of Healthcare,Care Acceptor, Health,Care Acceptors, Health,Care Nonacceptor, Health,Care Nonacceptors, Health,Health Care Acceptability,Health Care Acceptor,Health Care Acceptors,Health Care Nonacceptor,Health Care Nonacceptors,Healthcare Acceptabilities,Healthcare Acceptability,Healthcare Patient Acceptance,Healthcare Patient Acceptances,Utilization, Health Care
D011051	Poliomyelitis	An acute infectious disease of humans, particularly children, caused by any of three serotypes of human poliovirus (POLIOVIRUS). Usually the infection is limited to the gastrointestinal tract and nasopharynx, and is often asymptomatic. The central nervous system, primarily the spinal cord, may be affected, leading to rapidly progressive paralysis, coarse FASCICULATION and hyporeflexia. Motor neurons are primarily affected. Encephalitis may also occur. The virus replicates in the nervous system, and may cause significant neuronal loss, most notably in the spinal cord. A rare related condition, nonpoliovirus poliomyelitis, may result from infections with nonpoliovirus enteroviruses. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp764-5)	Infantile Paralysis,Polio,Poliomyelitis, Nonpoliovirus,Poliomyelitis, Preparalytic,Encephalitis, Polio,Epidemic Acute Poliomyelitis,Polio Encephalitis,Poliomyelitis Infection,Poliomyelitis, Acute,Acute Poliomyelitis,Acute Poliomyelitis, Epidemic,Infection, Poliomyelitis,Infections, Poliomyelitis,Nonpoliovirus Poliomyelitis,Paralysis, Infantile,Poliomyelitides, Preparalytic,Poliomyelitis Infections,Poliomyelitis, Epidemic Acute,Polios,Preparalytic Poliomyelitis
D011054	Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated	A suspension of formalin-inactivated poliovirus grown in monkey kidney cell tissue culture and used to prevent POLIOMYELITIS.	Salk Vaccine,Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine,Vaccine, Inactivated Poliovirus,Vaccine, Salk
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D004196	Disease Outbreaks	Sudden increase in the incidence of a disease. The concept includes EPIDEMICS and PANDEMICS.	Outbreaks,Infectious Disease Outbreaks,Disease Outbreak,Disease Outbreak, Infectious,Disease Outbreaks, Infectious,Infectious Disease Outbreak,Outbreak, Disease,Outbreak, Infectious Disease,Outbreaks, Disease,Outbreaks, Infectious Disease