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India to vaccinate Afghanistan returnees against polio.

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Science & Technology
  • Published
    25th Aug, 2021

The central government will vaccinate returnees from Afghanistan with polio vaccines as a preventive measure against the wild poliovirus.

Context

The central government will vaccinate returnees from Afghanistan with polio vaccines as a preventive measure against the wild poliovirus.

What is Wild Poliovirus?

  • Wild poliovirus (WPV) is the most commonly known form of the poliovirus. 
  • There is another form of polio that can spread within communities: circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus, or cVDPV.
  • While cVDPVs are rare, they have been increasing in recent years due to low immunization rates within communities.

Oral Polio Vaccine

  • Oral polio vaccine (OPV) contains an attenuated (weakened) vaccine-virus, activating an immune response in the body.
  • When a child is immunized with OPV, the weakened vaccine-virus replicates in the intestine for a limited period, thereby developing immunity by building up antibodies.
  • During this time, the vaccine-virus is also excreted.
  • In areas of inadequate sanitation, this excreted vaccine-virus can spread in the immediate community, before eventually dying out.

Situation of wild poliovirus across world

Wild poliovirus free country

  • Africa has been declared free from wild polio.
  • Nigeria is the last African country to be declared free from wild polio.

Where wild polio is still present?

  • Wild polio is still present in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
  • 94 WPV1 cases during the same time period in 2020. 

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