30. Lasch, E.E., 'Abed, Y., Gerichter, C.B., Massri, M., Marcus, O., Hensher, R. and Goldblum, N. Results of a Program Successfully Combining Live and Killed Polio Vaccines. Israeli Journal of Medical Sciences 1983; 19: 1021-1023.

The report describes the government Polio control program. Before 1973, vaccination using trivalent oral polio vaccine (TOPV) had a relatively low coverage (30-40% of infants) however after 1973, coverage reached 90% but the incidence of polio did not show a decrease, and two epidemics occurred between 1973 and 1977. In 1977 a sero-survey showed that two thirds of vaccinated children had no better protection than unvaccinated children. It is concluded that TOPV sero-conversion was ineffective, this perhaps being related to enteric infections.

In 1979 a new vaccine combining TOPV and Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) was introduced. Preliminary results suggested almost 100% sero-conversion and a reduction in polio incidence from 2.9 per 100,000 in 1980 to 0.2 per 100,000 in 1981.