India may stop using trivalent polio vaccine which it has been using for more than three decades. The World Health Assembly (WHA), to be held next week, is likely to decide on shelving trivalent polio vaccine.
Ealier, the India Eexpert Advisory Group (IEAG) on polio has recommended that the TOPV should be stopped. “A lot will depend on the WHO recommendations,” said a senior official in the health ministry. Once decided in the WHA India will have to shift completely to bivalent vaccine.
Experts say that decision is important, as chances of vaccine derived polio virus infection (VDPV) are higher with the use of TOPV (that targets all three strains of polio virus P1, P2 and P3).
On the other hand studies show that BOPV induced a significantly higher immunity response — 30 per cent more than other trivalent or monovalent vaccines being used earlier.
Earlier in 2009, the IEAG had recommended India to use “bivalent” polio vaccines to combat both P1 and P3 viruses. While the vaccine is administered orally, its introduction spared the hassle of organising two different rounds for P1 and P3. The IEAG had also recommended the use of Injectable Poilo Vaccine.
The results are here: Soon after its introduction, India saw a huge dip in polio cases in 2010. A study that appeared in the renowned journal Lancet in 2010 suggested that the double strain polio vaccine helped reduce the number of polio cases by more than 90 per cent in India.
In fact, last year has been remarkable, the country has not reported a single case for more than a year now. Recently, the WHO also put India off the hook of polio endemic countries.
There are only three countries now-Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan that remain to be polio endemic countries.
The WHA will examine a new strategy for eradication of polio virus and the polio end game.