Policy

Oral Polio Drops need Injectable polio Vaccine: IAP

13 years of polio immunisation programme, 486 cases this year alone in 87 districts

Concerned over the recent outbreaks of polio cases in Delhi, parts of Maharashtra, apart from the already endemic states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, The Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), the premier association of paediatricians in India, has recommended a new vaccination strategy in the immunisation schedule 2008.

The Community On Immunisation (IAPCOI) has stressed the need to offer Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) in addition to oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) in all children who can afford the vaccine at the age of 6, 10, 14 weeks followed by a booster at 15-18 months. This, the IAP says is because of the better immune response, overall safety and efficacy record of IPV, as observed in many developed countries like the USA.

Says Nitin K Shah, Co-chairperson, IAP Polio Eradication Committee, "To eradicate polio from India, better preventive measures are needed. Polio eradication in India is at the cross roads and a highly sensitive issue, Only a combination of OPV and IPV can ensure the best of protection to an individual and the community alongside the national immunisation policies, which OPV alone has not been able to provide at least in India."

Of late, it has been seen that higher dosage of OPV has not been able to provide adequate protection due to poor uptake in patients with intestinal infections and diarrhea.

Says Dr YK Amdekar, former IAP President, "IPV offers complete individual protection and has been considered as an additional tool at present for those who can afford the vaccine and as we attain eradication of polio in India, it will be time to shift completely from OPV to IPV. Such a strategy will avoid inevitable problems."

According to the WHO, a nation cannot be declared polio-free unless there are no fresh cases reported for three consecutive years. Already the polio eradication deadline has been extended thrice by over eight years, but still shows no signs bringing the disease to a standstill. Polio is one of the leading causes of disability leading to permanent paralysis. In India, already 486 polio cases have been reported till date this year. Out of 197 countries in the world, in only 4 countries polio is still endemic. Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the other three countries in the list.

EH News Bureau