Decks cleared for polio injection

After dilly-dallying for years, the decks have been cleared to introduce the injectable polio vaccine (IPV) from November 30 this year.

To be introduced in phases, IPV will be launched first in six states — Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. “However, in the coming six months it will be introduced in the whole country,” said a senior health ministry official.

Supported by GAVI, the additional dose of IPV will be given along with the third dose of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) in the National Immunisation Programme.

About 124 countries are currently using OPV. Experts had earlier recommended that countries introduce one dose of IPV in 2015 as part of their commitment to the global polio endgame plan which aims to ensure a polio-free world by 2018. “The new vaccine has been introduced as part of the national polio endgame strategy. Phasing out OPV will, however, take some time. The IPV will be given along with the third dose of OPV,” added the official.

To ensure complete elimination of the polio virus, the India Expert Advisory Group on Polio, too, had recommended an end to the use of the trivalent polio vaccine (ToPV), which India has been using for more than three decades. The need was felt as chances of vaccine-derived polio virus infection (VDPV) are higher with the use of ToPV (which targets all three strains — P1, P2 and P3). “We plan to switch from ToPV to bivalent vaccine in April next year,” added the official.

India though shifted to the bivalent vaccine (for both P1 and P3 viruses), which induced a significantly higher immunity response — 30 per cent more than other trivalent or monovalent vaccines being used earlier. However, the recent WHO recommendation regarding IPV was crucial as India had been putting aside the same recommendation from the IEAG for quite some time, mostly because of the apprehensions of people and the high cost of the vaccine. The IEAG had in 2009 recommended the use of IPV.