Immune status of children of immigrants to poliomyelitis

Abstract

Four ethnic groups of children from the Glasgow area--155 Asians, 85 Africans, 85 Chinese, and 93 Scots--were examined for neutralising to poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3. Only seven of the 418 children had no detectable antibody, and of these, four were aged less than 7 months; none had received polio vaccine. The best-protected children were the Chinese (93% with antibody to all three poliovirus types), followed by the African (81%), Scottish (78%), and Asian children (77%). We conclude that children of immigrants are no more vulnerable to poliovirus infection than their Scottish counterparts.