Epidemiological analysis on acute flaccid paralysis cases of residual paralysis from 1991 to 2004 in Shaoxing City

Objective This study was conducted to understand the epidemiological characteristics and disease spectrum of acute flaccid paralysis(AFP) cases of residual paralysis in Shaoxing City. Methods The method of descriptive epidemiology was used to statistically analyze the data from surveillance and cases survey of the special report system for AFP from 1991 to 2004 in Shaoxing city. Results The 32 AFP cases were mainly distributed in Sheng and Shaoxing county. AFP cases were prevailing between June and October, and cases aged under 4 years accounted for 65.62% with the ratio of male to female being 2.56:1. AFP cases were mainly on the unilateral lower limb, secondly bilateral ones. The traumatic neuritis was mostly responsible for the residual paralysis. Conclusion Effective preventive measures should be taken based on the spectrum of diseases causing disability of AFP cases. And AFP monitoring should be further strengthened to find and stop transmission of the wild poliomyelitis virus, and consolidate the achievements of poliomyelitis eradication.