Monovalent vaccine to fight polio in India

Faced with a polio outbreak of 583 cases in India this year, the health ministry, World Health Organisation and UN agencies associated with the global polio eradication campaign today pulled out their newest weapon against the deadly virus: The monovalent vaccine as against the trivalent vaccine which was in use so far.

The vaccine which targets only one of the three strains, had been found more effective than the trivalent vaccine which targets all three strains "" Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 "" at the same time. This was a finding dating back to 1970 and credited to virologist T Jacob John, formerly of the Christian Medical College hospital, Vellore.

The polio eradication campaign today openly acknowledged the contribution of the veteran in providing the last deadly weapon against polio while making him the chairperson of the India Expert Advisory Panel on polio.

The World Health Organisation expert in infectious diseases David Haemen, participating in the crucial India Expert Advisory Panel, said that after a crucial meeting of the panel today, the new approach of the campaign favoured monovalent vaccine which was found to be more effective than the trivalent vaccine by a study conducted by Jacob John in 1970.

He said the WHO conducted a study of its own after the polio drive seemed to fail in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar last year, and found that the findings of John held good.

Dr Bruce Aylward director of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative said that the monovalent vaccine combined with a drive for total sanitation would see the end of the virus in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

"The Type 2 virus has been eradicated globally and separate monovalent oral polio vaccines are needed to eradicate the Type 1 and Type 3 strains," he said.

Aylward said, "No one made mistakes. The virus turned out to be stronger. But armed with monovalent Type 1 and 3 vaccines, and a drive for sanitation, we will see the end of this battle with polio soon."

He said that the polio drive would now be on a monthly basis in the two states and would last for six months.

The use of monovalent oral vaccine Type 1 began last year itself in high-risk districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and in Mumbai-Thane.

John, speaking later to Business Standard, commented on the "belated" decision of the campaign to adopt monovalent vaccines: "They may refuse to hear my voice. But they can't ignore the virus."

He was referring to the Type 1 virus which has been stubbornly refusing to submit to the eradication drive in western Uttar Pradesh and Bihar with the trivalent vaccine.