Search

Strategic goals and schemes of immunization against measles, mumps and rubella in European countries with special attention for positive and negative sides of immunization against rubella and control of congenital rubella were described. Vaccines against mumps with strain Urabe AM9 were withdrawn in September 1992 in Great Britain. Decision was caused by increasing of complications after vaccination to 1 for 4000 doses of vaccine. (Former 1:4,000,000). Only mumps vaccine with strain Jeryl Lynn is there accepted. Including of vaccination against mumps to the calendar of vaccination in Poland was advised, when vaccine MMR with Jeryl Lynn mumps vaccine strain would be available. Monitoring of immunization of women against rubella would be necessary after above mentioned change in calendar of vaccinations.

In sixties and seventies small number of diphtheria cases was registered in European countries and diphtheria seems to go to be eliminated. Between 1982 and 1985 the first wave of diphtheria epidemic, and since 1990 the second wave were observes. Majority of cases during the first epidemic was registered in Soviet Union, but also in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and Sweden. Since 1990 increasing numbers of cases were registered in Russia and Ukraine. Some imported cases from these countries were observed in Bielorussia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Finland, Norway. Prophylactic measures undertaken in Russia and Ukraine were not sufficient. Shortage of vaccines were the most important reason of this situation. In 1992 one case and in first six months of 1993 five cases of diphtheria were imported in Poland. Production of Td vaccine started in Poland in 1991 and vaccination of adolescents in 19 as well as vaccination of some risk groups were introduced especially in the east port of country.

Vaccination was performed by influenza virus vaccine, trivalent type A and B. We vaccinated about 50,000 persons in Poland in different groups of age. HI and NI tests were used for testing antibody level for A/Taiwan/1/86 (H1N1), A/Shanghai/16/89 (H3N2) and B/Yamagata/16/89. The rise of antibody level was statistically significant.

The meeting of Working Group on Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) was organized in Paris on February 5-6-7 1992. Reporting and Surveillance of AEFI in the European countries was advised to be introduced in each country as the part of monitoring system in this matter. Channels for reporting system of AEFI should be similar to channels for reporting system of communicable diseases or to system of events following drugs. Reporting and surveillance system of AEFI in Poland as well as proposition for improving of activities in this field.

109 sera from patients in the early phase of acute hepatitis non-B were tested by immunoenzymatic methods for presence of serologic markers of infections with HBV, HAV and CMV. The analysis of the results showed that 14 patients were infected with HBV, 20 with HAV and 2 with CMV. The remaining 73 cases could apparently be attributed to the infection with HCV. It has been estimated that in 1988, 69.5% of hepatitis cases in Poland could have resulted from the infection with HBV, 24%--from the infection with NANB viruses and only, and only 6.5%--from the infection with HAV. These data even if representing a slight overestimate of the incidence of hepatitis due to the parenteral spread of infections agents support the postulate that measures to prevent these infections should be strengthened.

Food is one of more important carriers by which factors polluting the environment (especially biological and chemical ones) can be introduced into a human organism. The problem of diseases spreading by food has not been sufficiently studied. It is estimated that about 5% of those diseases are in most European countries notified and registered. Due to many reasons, the problem of food safety has been becoming more and more urgent in recent years. In particular countries and on an international scale there have been steps taken so as to increase health safety from food. Recently, a UNDP scheme called Effective Systems Application for Food Safety has been drawn up. In order to put it into effect, a meeting of the so called steering group was organized in Nowy Sad (Yugoslavia) on 24-26 Oct 1988. Much attention is paid to creating a network of laboratories controlling the incidence of diseases spreading by food, mainly to exchange information on both early warning of danger and on the research of the group.

The utilization of beds and their non-utilization because of epidemic-emergency causes and other causes were analysed in the period from February 1988 to January 1989 in a hospital department for observation and infectious diseases under conditions not intended for treatment of patients with communicable diseases From 20 to 30% of beds could not be utilized due to the necessity of treatment under conditions of isolation. The utilization of beds was higher in the period from October to May, and lower in the period from June to September.