Vaccine-associated polio imported by 5-month-old girl who came to Singapore for treatment: MOH
An Indonesian infant has been confirmed as Singapore’s first imported case of polio in 19 years.
The five-month-old girl has vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a press release on Friday (7 Feb).
Source: on Unsplash. Photo for illustration purposes only.
Girl developed symptoms in Indonesia in December
The girl, who is immunocompromised, was previously vaccinated with one dose of oral polio vaccine (OPV) and one dose of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) in Indonesia.
Last December, she developed fever, acute floppiness, and paralysis of the lower limbs.
But her doctor in Indonesia did not suspect polio at the time.
Girl medically evacuated to Singapore on 26 Jan
On 26 Jan, she was medically evacuated to Singapore for treatment and admitted to National University Hospital (NUH).
Source: Google Maps
She was conveyed directly to NUH upon arrival and isolated upon admission, MOH said.
She is currently in stable condition.
Low risk of community transmission: MOH
Once it was suspected that the girl had polio, she was placed under the “appropriate infection prevention and control precautions” to prevent further spread, MOH said.
Three of her close contacts, who are her family members or caregivers, have also been quarantined as a precautionary measure.
Thus, MOH’s findings indicate a “low risk of community transmission”, it added.
Vaccine-associated polio ‘extremely rare’
Vaccine-associated polio is “extremely rare”, MOH said.
It occurs when a patient develops paralytic polio after receiving OPV, with patients who are immunocompromised having a higher risk of developing the condition.
Hence, IPV, which does not contain any live poliovirus, is usually recommended for them instead of OPV.
Singapore stopped using OPV in 2021, together with many other countries, MOH added.
Last imported polio case in Singapore was in 2006
The last time Singapore reported an imported polio case was in 2006.
Locally acquired polio cases have not been detected in Singapore since 1978, MOH said, adding:
Singapore has maintained our polio-free status by continuing high polio vaccination coverage, high standards of environmental hygiene and sanitation, and having an established surveillance system in place to detect possible cases of poliomyelitis.
Children receive five doses of a polio vaccine in Singapore — three IPV doses two months apart for infants and two IPV booster doses.
The IPV carries no risk of vaccine-associated polio as it does not contain live virus, MOH explained.
Also read: 12 Children In India Fed Hand Sanitiser Instead Of Polio Vaccine, All Sent To Hospital
12 Children In India Fed Hand Sanitiser Instead Of Polio Vaccine, All Sent To Hospital
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
