At a glance
The U.S. Poliovirus Containment Survey is designed to collect relevant facility inventory data to ensure compliance with requirements established in the WHO Global Action Plan (GAP). Facilities should coordinate with laboratory staff who work with the material on a regular basis to complete the survey.
Importance
Poliovirus containment is critical to minimizing the risk of the virus getting into the environment and causing harm. Laboratories and other facilities that handle or store PV materials pose a risk for the virus being reintroduced into communities. Proper facility containment of poliovirus (PV) is important to keeping the world polio-free.
The definitions and examples page shares examples of wild poliovirus infectious materials and potentially infectious poliovirus materials.
Facility containment
Containment is achieved by:
- Destroying unneeded or nonessential PV material and potentially infectious material.
- Transferring material to a certified poliovirus-essential facility (PEF).
- Implementing safety and security measures to prevent release of the virus.
Global polio eradication is anticipated within the next few years. Then, certified PEFs biomedical laboratories and facilities working with the virus or samples will be the only possible PV sources.
For more information on containment:
Inventory process
Purpose
The U.S. National Authority for Containment (NAC) surveys laboratories and other facilities to understand the scope of infectious poliovirus and potentially infectious materials. This includes materials that are currently in use and/or stored by facilites throughout the United States including:
- Fecal samples
- Respiratory secretions
- Environmental samples such as sewage and wastewater
Involvement
National inventories are completing in countries in the Americas, Western Pacific, European, Eastern Mediterranean, African, and Southeast Asia regions. These are happening in response to the 68th World Health Assembly call to WHO Member States (Resolution WHA71.16).
Polioviruses may be present in biological and environmental materials collected for any purpose at a time and geographic area where wild or vaccine derived poliovirus was circulating, or oral polio vaccine was in use. Many facilities may not be aware that such materials may harbor poliovirus.