January 2001 • Volume 7 Number 1
Be on the lookout for possible polio importation, CDC says
Polio outbreaks in Haiti and the Dominican Republic have led U.S. health officials to issue an alert. The CDC is urging physicians and public health departments to consider the possibility of polio in patients with acute flaccid paralysis who have recently immigrated from or traveled in those areas.
Family physicians should be especially vigilant, said Herbert Young, M.D., director of the AAFP Scientific Activities Division. "A lot of our family practice residencies provide care for these patients," Young said. "Many of our members donate their time to public health facilities and free health clinics."
This outbreak in the Americas reinforces the need to ensure that all children receive appropriate vaccination for polio and other infectious diseases, Young added.
Physicians who suspect polio in a patient should immediately contact their local health department.
The CDC has issued a one-page alert about this potential health risk, advising physicians about the need to consider polio as a part of the work-up for patients with acute flaccid paralysis. You may obtain a copy of that document via "Quick Fax".
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