Abstract
Stool and blood samples from 74 Saudi children suspected of paralytic poliomyelitis were investigated for the aetiological agent of this disease. Poliovirus type 1 was the predominant isolate (61 per cent), followed by poliovirus type 3 (8 per cent) and poliovirus type 2 (5 per cent). Enteroviruses, other than polio were also isolated, viz. Echo 24, Coxsackie B2, and Coxsackie B3 and one non-polio enterovirus. The results indicate that paralytic poliomyelitis is still endemic in Saudi Arabia and concentrated efforts must continue to sustain high immunization coverage against polioviruses, since these viruses remain the only agents that can be interrupted by immunization.