Showing posts with label Polio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Polio. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

UPDATE ON POLIO INFECTION AND VACCINATION

UPDATE ON POLIO INFECTION AND VACCINATION

1. Polio virus infection was a common cause of paralysis of legs and arms in many people across the world (including India) until the last decade.



2. As of January 2016, polio has been eliminated from all countries of the world except Pakistan and Afghanistan. The last case of Polio in India was seen in 2011.

3. There are 3 types of polioviruses called as types 1, 2 and 3. No polio infection has occurred due to type 2 poliovirus since 1999. The last case of Type3 virus-related polio was seen in 2012. So, at present, all polio infections are caused by type 1 poliovirus.

4. So, now, there is no need to use vaccine against all three types of viruses. The current oral polio vaccine (bivalent oral polio vaccine) gives protection against types 1 and 3 poliovirus types, and that is sufficient.



5. It is important to avoid using the older trivalent polio vaccine (which gave immunity against all three polio virus types), as older vaccine was responsible for rare complications called as vaccine associated paralytic polio (VAPP). In India, trivalent polio vaccine will be removed from April 2016, and only bivalent OPV would be available.

6. There are two types of polio vaccines- inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV). As the name suggests, in IPV, the virus is in inactive state, and there is no risk of VAPP with this. So, in countries with no polio infection, it is better to use IPV. However, IPV does not prevent outbreaks of polio. So, in countries where polio infection is still present or there is a risk of epidemic, OPV is preferred.

7. In India, OPV is the vaccine of choice, given at birth, 6 weeks, 10 weeks and 14 weeks of age to children. IPV is optional and can be taken at 14 weeks of age along with third dose of DPT and OPV.

8. World Health Organization (WHO) has planned comprehensive strategies aiming eradication of polio to make the world free of polio by 2018. When this happens, polio would become the second infection to be eradicated (after small pox). The last case of small pox occurred in 1975 in Bangladesh.


DR SUDHIR KUMAR MD (INTERNAL MEDICINE) DM (NEUROLOGY)
SENIOR CONSULTANT NEUROLOGIST
Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad-500096
Phone- 0091-40-23607777/60601066
Email: drsudhirkumar@yahoo.com
Online consultation:  http://bit.ly/Dr-Sudhir-kumar