India Remains Polio Free, All Vaccines Used In Govt Immunisation Prog Safe: UNICEF, WHO
As advised by the India Expert Advisory Group, the country continues to conduct mass vaccination campaigns against polio, using bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV), to maintain high immunity.
Referring to the recent incident in which type 2 polio vaccine virus was found in some sewage and stool samples, the organisations said that detection of the virus demonstrates a robust polio surveillance system jointly managed by the health ministry, the WHO and partners.
A team of Indian Council of Medical Research, Drug Controller General of India and Ministry of Health investigated the matter.
"A few vials of bOPV, supplied by one manufacturer in India, were found to contain traces of Type 2 polio vaccine virus. The Ministry of health took immediate and decisive action withdrawing the vaccine supplied by this manufacturer from all states that it was supplied to.
"Despite the risk of vaccine-derived polio being minimal, the immediate withdrawal of these vaccines demonstrates the commitment of the government to the health of children," the statement stated.
"In view of high routine immunization coverage being achieved in India under Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), the risk of children getting vaccine-derived poliovirus is minimal," the statement added.
