Poliovirus Infectious Materials and Potentially Infectious Materials (PIMs) in Australia 2021 Survey
Who Should Complete This Survey?
This survey is for all laboratories in Australia that handle human biological samples and sewage polluted waters.
The survey is expected to be completed by the laboratory custodian, the biosafety officer or other responsible person and signed off by a senior level institutional representative.
Please complete this survey questionnaire even if you don't hold PIMs. The World Health Organization and the Australian Government requires all relevant laboratories to make a formal statement about whether PIMs are held.
What is Polio?
Poliomyelitis (polio) is caused by a virus that has three serotypes, referred to as wild poliovirus (WPV) type 1, type 2 and type 3.
Person-to-person spread of poliovirus is by the faecal-oral route. Typical manifestations of polio are caused when the virus spreads to infect and replicate in the cells of the central nervous system. The most severe clinical manifestation of polio infection is paralytic polio.
What are PIMs?
PIMs are biological materials that are potentially infectious for poliovirus as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). The biological material must have been stored at -20°C or lower in order to remain active. The general classes of materials likely to be potentially infectious are respiratory samples, faecal samples, concentrated sewage samples or derivatives of these.
Country specific critical dates have been identified for when different types of poliovirus may have been circulating in the community. For Australia, the critical dates are December 1972 for wild poliovirus, and Jan 1973 to Jun 2006 for oral polio vaccine (OPV). Information on other countries is available (Containment Guidance and Tools - GPEI (polioeradication.org) (Annex 2)).
Why is this survey important?
Humans are the only host for the poliovirus. The complete global eradication of the poliovirus is feasible and is now very close. To ensure complete success, it is of vital importance that all countries, and all relevant facilities, contribute to ensuring a polio-free world. PIMs pose a threat to the global eradication of poliovirus, because they may inadvertently contribute to a breach in containment. All countries are completing a national inventory of PIMs as part of the eradication effort.
Who is conducting this survey?
As part of Australia's obligations under the Global Poliovirus Eradication Initiative, the Australian Government is required to identify all facilities in Australia that are in possession of or handle human biological samples and sewage polluted waters to identify poliovirus potentially infectious material. To meet this obligation, the Department of Health has contracted the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to conduct a survey of facilities.
What is involved in the survey?
The survey is designed with 2 components. The first component will indicate if your facility holds reportable PIMs while the second component will (if relevant) collect further details about the PIMs identified.
You should complete this first component online. If you identify as holding reportable PIMs, CSIRO will contact you directly to discuss the next steps.
What will happen to the information I provide?
The Australian Government Department of Health is bound by the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). On behalf of the Department of Health, the CSIRO is collecting this personal information about you for the primary purpose of giving effect to its obligations to contribute to International Health Regulations. The information you provide in this survey will be provided to the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation as part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
The Department of Health has an APP privacy policy which you can read at http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/privacy-policy. You can obtain a copy of the APP privacy policy by contacting the Department of Health by telephone on (02) 6289 1555 or freecall 1800 020 103 or by using the online enquiries form at www.health.gov.au. The APP privacy policy contains information about: how you may access the personal information the Department of Health holds about you and how you can seek correction of it; and how you may complain about a breach of the APPs; or a registered APP code that binds the Department; and how the Department of Health will deal with such a complaint.
Contact and Further Information
For further information about this survey please visit the survey website (PolioSurvey.csiro.au) or email poliosurvey@csiro.au and one of the study staff will contact you as soon as possible.
For further information on the Global Polio Eradication Initiative see http://polioeradication.org/
For information about the WHO Global Action Plan to minimize facility associated risk (GAPIII) see https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/208872
I acknowledge that I have read and understand the Information Sheet entitled:
Australian Facilities 2020 Survey: Management of Polioviruses and Potentially Infectious Materials (PIMs)
Click on the link below to access the full information sheet and consent form.
I,---------------------------------, hereby consent to provide requested information for the survey project entitled : Australian Facilities 2020 Survey: Management of Polioviruses and Potentially Infectious Materials (PIMs).
Low Risk Review Panel Number: 2020_071_LR
* must provide value
Please enter your full name in the field above.
After reading the study information sheet (attached above), do you consent to participate in this survey and understand that your responses, will be collected, stored, and shared with our research collaborators at the Australian Government Department of Health and the World Health Organisation as part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative? *
* must provide value
Yes No
Name of Institution:
* must provide value
Name of centre/department/laboratory:
* must provide value
Physical location (address):
* must provide value
e-mail address
(mandatory)
* must provide value
Telephone number
(desirable, not mandatory)
Please enter numbers only without space, brackets or any special characters.
a. Does your laboratory hold known poliovirus infectious material (i.e. Sabin/oral vaccine stocks, samples containing active poliovirus -including field isolates and genetically modified viruses, nucleic acid extracts or derivatives)?
* must provide value
Yes No I don't know
If you have answered YES to question a, our staff will contact you for further information. Please continue with the following sections of the survey.
b. Does your laboratory have any human faecal samples, respiratory samples, sewage samples or their derivatives that were collected in Australia in June 2006 or earlier and have since been stored at a temperature of -20°C or below (i.e. colder than -20°C)?
* must provide value
Yes No I don't know
c. Does your laboratory have any human faecal samples, respiratory samples, sewage samples or their derivatives that originated outside Australia (collected at any time) and have since been stored at a temperature of -20°C or below (i.e. colder than -20°C)?
* must provide value
Yes No I don't know
If your answer is NO to both questions b and c, please proceed to section D.
If your answer is I DON'T KNOW to both questions b and c, then you may be contacted for further information.
Human faecal sample:
* must provide value
Human respiratory tract sample:
* must provide value
Wastewater/sewage:
* must provide value
Derivatives of any of the above:
* must provide value
Clinical samples from humans with suspected poliovirus infection for diagnostic purposes:
* must provide value
Full length poliovirus genome (RNA or cDNA) or nucleic acid extracts:
* must provide value
Sabin/vaccine stocks:
* must provide value
Yes
No
Human faecal sample stored at -20°C or below:
Yes
No
Human faecal sample:
Country where samples originated and date of collection
* must provide value
Human respiratory tract sample stored at -20°C or below:
Yes
No
Human respiratory tract sample:
Country where samples originated and date of collection
* must provide value
Wastewater/sewage stored at -20°C or below:
Yes
No
Wastewater/sewage:
Country where samples originated and date of collection
* must provide value
Derivatives of any of the above stored at -20°C or below:
Yes
No
Derivatives of any of the above:
Country where samples originated and date of collection
* must provide value
Clinical samples from humans with suspected poliovirus infection for diagnostic purposes stored at -20°C or below:
Yes
No
Clinical samples from humans with suspected poliovirus infection for diagnostic purposes:
Country where samples originated and date of collection
* must provide value
Full length poliovirus genome (RNA or cDNA) or nucleic acid extracts stored at -20°C or below:
Yes
No
Full length poliovirus genome (RNA or cDNA) or nucleic acid extracts:
Country where samples originated and date of collection
* must provide value
Yes
No
Sabin/vaccine stocks:
Country where samples originated and date of collection
* must provide value
D1: Do you have any additional information to communicate to the research team? [You will be followed up if you have responded to sections B1 or C1]
D2: Are you responsible for multiple laboratories* (for example within a medical research institute)?
* A separate laboratory is one that is not located in the same building or building complex, OR belongs to a separate business (as identified by an ABN number)
* must provide value
Yes No
If you have answered YES to this question, please complete a separate survey for each laboratory you are responsible for.
(You can do so by CLICKING the same link again and start a new survey after completing the details for this laboratory.)
Full Name:
* must provide value
Position:
* must provide value
Address:
* must provide value
Work e-mail
* must provide value
Work telephone
* must provide value
Please enter numbers only without space, brackets or any special characters.
I confirm that the information provided in this survey is correct to the best of my knowledge and that it reflects the reality of the laboratory, storage site, or other facility type.
* must provide value
Date completed:
* must provide value
Today D-M-Y
Full Name:
* must provide value
Position:
* must provide value
Vice-Chancellor (Higher Education) CEO/Chairperson (Medical Center) CEO/Chairperson (Hospital) Other, please specify
Please specify;
* must provide value
Work e-mail
(Mandatory)
* must provide value
Work telephone
* must provide value
Please enter numbers only without space, brackets or any special characters.
Thank you. This survey will now be sent by email to the senior level representative you have selected above. All relevant institutions across the country have been made aware of the survey and its importance.
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