Journal article
Inactivated polio vaccine and global polio eradication
2012 will mark the 24th year of WHO\'s Global Poliomyelitis Eradication Initiative.1 Eradication has proven more difficult than originally envisioned because of geopolitical events, such as war, social disruption, and political indifference; social and cultural issues, such as distrust of poliovirus vaccines and vaccinators; and the unanticipated emergence of virulent vaccine-derived polioviruses in many locations. Few of these obstacles have bewildered the scientific community as much as the low efficacy of the major weapon in the arsenal, trivalent oral polio vaccine (OPV) in regions with dense populations, high birthrates, and poor sanitation resulting from diarrhoea due to enteric pathogens, particularly rotaviruses, and perhaps nutritional deficiencies and other factors.2, 3 This dilemma has been most frustrating in northern India where, in some crowded, resource-poor areas, the overall effectiveness of each trivalent OPV dose is estimated to be 10% and some children have developed paralytic polio after as many as ten doses.4
Authors
Languages
- English
Publication year
2012
Journal
The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Volume
2
Type
Journal article
Categories
- Service delivery
Diseases
- Polio
Organisations
- World Health Organization (WHO)
