Immunity to poliovirus in Afghanistan: A household sampling method for serological assessment based on geographical information systems

Afghanistan continues to experience challenges affecting polio eradication. Mass polio vaccination campaigns, which aim to protect children under the age of 5, are a key eradication strategy. To date, the polio program in Afghanistan has only employed facility-based seroprevalence surveys, which can be subject to sampling bias. We describe the feasibility in implementing a cross-sectional household poliovirus seroprevalence survey based on geographical information systems (GIS) in three districts. Digital maps with randomly selected predetermined starting points were provided to teams, with a total target of 1,632 households. Teams were instructed to navigate to predetermined starting points and enrol the closest household within 60 m. To assess effectiveness of these methods, we calculated percentages for total households enrolled with valid geocoordinates collected within the designated boundary, and whether the Euclidean distance of households were within 60 m of a predetermined starting point. A normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) image ratio was conducted to further investigate variability in team performances. The study enrolled a total of 78% of the target sample with 52% of all households within 60 m of a pre-selected point and 79% within the designated cluster boundary. Success varied considerably between the four target areas ranging from 42% enrolment of the target sample in one place to 90% enrolment of the target sample in another. Interviews with the field teams revealed that differences in security status and amount of non-residential land cover were key barriers to higher enrolment rates. Our findings indicate household poliovirus seroprevalence surveys using GIS-based sampling can be effectively implemented in polio endemic countries to capture representative samples. We also proposed ways to achieve higher success rates if these methods are to be used in the future, particularly in areas with concerns of insecurity or spatially dispersed residential units.