Eradicate polio in the Covid era

October 24th is World Polio Day. coronavirus Pandemic. Polio eradication continues to be important as it is aimed at our future children. It was in 1978 that Rotary dreamed of a world without polio. After that, WHO, UNICEF, and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) of the US administration participated in the drive. Finally, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has become an important partner. Partners have played an important role in protecting communities from unprecedented pandemics, as they have done in the past in response to Ebola and bird flu, based on decades of experience in stopping polio outbreaks. increase.

Nigeria was released from polio in August 2020. As a result, wild poliovirus infections are at the lowest levels in history in two cases, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This represents a unique opportunity to end the wild poliovirus at once in this last remaining global disease fortress.
After proof of eradication, OPV (oral polio vaccine) was discontinued and IPV (inactivated polio vaccine) was introduced. OPV is a live vaccine and IPV is based on a dead virus, but there is a risk of vaccine-derived polio and no risk. However, it is important to understand that the oral polio vaccine had the ability to be effective in the herd. And without OPV, we wouldn’t have been able to get this immunity. Therefore, OPV continues in countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan.

There are three types of wild poliovirus. Type 2 wild poliovirus was eradicated in September 2015, but type 3 wild poliovirus has not been found since November 2012 and has been identified as eradicated on October 24, 2019. .. That is, only type 1 poliovirus continues to prevail.

Vaccine-derived polioviruses occur in 25 counties around the world, primarily in Africa, as well as in parts of the Middle East and Asia. Circulating VDPV occurs when regular or supplemental immune activity is inadequate and children are not vaccinated enough to ensure complete immunity. The total number of vaccine-derived polioviruses in 2020 was 1123. By 2021, there were less than 200 cases so far. It is important to understand that these cases occur when children miss vaccinations. VDPV is not an issue if the child is fully vaccinated. Last November, WHO granted Novel Oral Polio Vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) the first emergency use list of vaccines. This is a vaccine that has been in development for almost 10 years. It is as effective as existing vaccines and has much better genetic stability. This reduces the chance of regression due to paralysis.

Fortunately, India has been free of wild poliovirus since 2011 and no vaccine-derived poliovirus. However, India is interested in poliovirus in neighboring countries Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan is highly organized in surveillance for disease detection, including a network of laboratories. There is also a tradition of regular immunization of newborns. For Afghanistan, there were concerns about the new Taliban government. Fortunately, the new government is now in favor of polio vaccination. Only today I learned that the Taliban government has agreed to resume a door-to-door vaccination program next month to eradicate polio. I hope that polio will finally be eradicated. When that happens, the world will earn significant economic dividends as well as humane. Recent modeling has shown that eradication of polio can save a cumulative US $ 14 billion by 2050. On the financial front, global efforts to eradicate polio have already saved more than US $ 27 billion in medical costs since 1988.

The plus strategy aims to stop the epidemic of all wild and vaccine-derived polioviruses by 2023 and to achieve polio-free certification by 2026. In fact, Rotary’s dream of 1978 will come true.
Great sportsman Pele correctly said, “The harder the goal, the greater the happiness of victory.”

The writer is a former president of Rotary International