Prevalence of antibody to poliovirus in England and Wales 1984-6.

Serum from 995 subjects aged 6 months to 99 years was screened at a dilution of 1/8 for neutralising antibodies to poliovirus. Of these samples, 975 (98%) contained antibody to at least one serotype, and 763 (77%) contained antibody to all three, an improvement since previous studies. Children aged 8 to 15, however, had a low prevalence of antibody to poliovirus type 3, with only four (40%) of those aged 12 protected. This finding is possibly due to the waning of antibodies induced by the type 3 component of oral poliovirus vaccine and emphasises the continued importance of a booster dose of vaccine for those leaving school.