A review of poliomyelitis epidemics in Jamaica

The prevalence of communicable diseases in the English speaking Caribbean has declined considerably over the last two decades, creating a false sense of security and complacency in implementing continuous preventive measures such as immunization. Poliomyelitis is one such case in paint. The last case of paralytic poliomyelitis was reported in Jamaica in 1969. Then twelve years later, in May 1982, the Ministry of Health announced the outbreak of poliomyelitis in the parish of St. James, caused by the Type I virus. This paper traces the history of epidemics of poliomyelitis in Jamaica from 1954 to 1982, the Government's policies and strategies for immunization and demonstrates that preventive intervention through immunization is cheaper and preferable to crisis management caused by epidemics. The evaluation of the social and economic costs of the 1982 poliomyelitis epidemic in Jamaica provides conclusive evidence in support of preventive intervention

Christian ministry · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Immunization · Outbreak · Poliomyelitis · Political science · Psychiatry · Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology · Medicine · Viral Infections and Immunology Research · Immunology · Virology

• The globalization of the health-care industry

  Richard L Bernal•CEPAL review•2007

  Add to list