India launches massive polio vaccine programme

India launches programme for child-health screening.

Birth defects aff ect 6% of all children in India, which translates to a staggering 1·7 million birth defects annually. Developmental delays are also a substantial cause of morbidity in early childhood, aff ecting around 10% of children. That’s why many experts have welcomed a new government initiative to screen children for birth defects and intervene early, although concerns have been raised ...

Vaccine-associated paralytic polio in India.

Assessment of vaccine wastage during a pulse polio immunization programme in India.

A study to assess the wastage factor of oral polio vaccine (OPV) in the Pulse Polio Immunization (PPI) programme of the Government of India was undertaken by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at approximately 31,000 immunization booths all over the country. The study was conducted through the network of 31 Human Reproduction Research Centres (HRRCs) and other ICMR institutes. Wastag...

Vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis in India during 1999: decreased risk despite massive use of oral polio vaccine.

OBJECTIVE Vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP) is a rare but serious consequence of the administration of oral polio vaccine (OPV). Intensified OPV administration has reduced wild poliovirus transmission in India but VAPP is becoming a matter of concern. METHODS We analysed acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance data in order to estimate the VAPP risk in this country. VAPP wa...

Polio eradication. Efficacy of inactivated poliovirus vaccine in India.

Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) is efficacious against paralytic disease, but its effect on mucosal immunity is debated. We assessed the efficacy of IPV in boosting mucosal immunity. Participants received IPV, bivalent 1 and 3 oral poliovirus vaccine (bOPV), or no vaccine. A bOPV challenge was administered 4 weeks later, and excretion was assessed 3, 7, and 14 days later. Nine hundred and ...