National enhanced acute flaccid paralysis / acute flaccid myelitis surveillance in Scotland: surveillance protocol
Version 1

This document describes the development and implementation of a surveillance program for detecting Acute Flaccid Paralysis / Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFP/AFM) in Scotland.

The aim of the AFP/AFM surveillance programme is to provide a dataset to guide public health advice and actions, and to provide an ability to measure the impact of any interventions.

The program objectives are to:

• detect poliovirus infection in the population
• investigate the implication of other enteroviruses, particularly enterovirus D68, in the disease condition

The document outlines the scientific evidence base for the program and a protocol detailing how data are collected, consolidated, and analysed for surveillance. The process is designed to be sufficiently frequent, timely, and complete in order to support effective local and national public health management.

This document also describes how notifications should be made to Public Health Scotland (PHS) by Health Protection Teams (HPT) in Scottish NHS health boards, and the virological investigations that need to be undertaken.