Now that wild poliovirus type 3 has been officially declared as eliminated, the only way to reduce the risk of vaccine-associated polio cases is by switching over to oral vaccine containing only type 1 or making polio vaccine injection as part of the national immunisation programme. The world polio day on October 24 marked an … Continue reading Focus must be on reducing vaccine-associated polio cases
Vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP)
India eradicated wild polio virus but at what cost
Despite oral polio vaccine causing vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) and vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP) cases, India did not switch over from OPV to inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). While circulating VDPV strains are tracked, and outbreaks and cases recorded, little is known about VAPP cases. The justification that VAPP cases are “sporadic and pose little or no … Continue reading India eradicated wild polio virus but at what cost
‘We are fighting a war against polio without a General’
A 10-month-old baby in Beed district, Maharashtra who was recently diagnosed of polio caused by the vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) type 2 turns the spotlight on the shortcomings of using a live, weakened polio virus in oral polio vaccine. Dr. T. Jacob John, member of the WHO committee on global polio eradication, in an email to … Continue reading ‘We are fighting a war against polio without a General’
Bring in injectable polio vaccine
A 10-month-old baby in Beed district, Maharashtra who recently got infected by a vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) type 2 is yet another reminder that despite India being declared polio free more than two years ago, children are getting infected with the polio virus. The only difference is that the virus in question is not the wild … Continue reading Bring in injectable polio vaccine
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