ABSTRACT
In 1988 the world health assembly resolved to eradicate poliomyelitis.The Live attenuated oral polio vaccine was the captain against the fight to eradicate poliomyelitis.It had indeed many advantages in the fight to eradicate polio.But despite its many advantages it has a risk for occurrence of rare cases of paralytic poliomyelitis among immunologically normal OPV recipients and additional risk of emergence of Vaccine derived polio virus(VDPVs).Poliovirus being an RNA virus are notorious for mutation.India is a polio free country since 2011 however endemicity of its neighbours are a detterent against dropping guard.This article reviews the introduction of Bivalent oral polio vaccine instead of trivalent oral polio vaccine and rationale of addition of Inactivated Polio vaccine on the road to the—Endgame Strategy
ABSTRACT
Continuous wild poliovirus transmission despite 12 years of intensive surveillance has raised serious questions about the feasibility of polio eradication programme with current strategy in near future. At present most of the cases are confined to four endemic countries, which are causing sporadic outbreaks in non-endemic areas. India has experienced a significant increase in number of cases reported in 2006 compared to previous year. Outbreaks originated in western UP which was due to the accumulation of susceptibles between the last outbreak in 2002 and early 2006. Substantial improvement has been observed in strategies of polio eradication but still there are gaps in the programme implementation which needs immediate attention so that goal of polio eradication can be achieved at the earliest opportunity. Even though there are many issues but there are also many factors, which favour polio eradication. These factors include new tool in form of m OPV, natural immunity due to recent outbreak, limiting international spread of polio, new researches to guide programme in right direction, political commitments from endemic countries, etc. 2008 presents the best opportunity ever to interrupt wild polio virus transmission which will lead to global eradication of Polio. Since global eradication is within sight, it is scientifically possible to eradicate the disease in near future.