Polio Vaccine

The World Health Organisation has launched a new vaccine to eradicate the last few strains of polio.

16:26 19 April 2016

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is changing its strategy to totally eliminate polio by targeting certain strains of the disease in hard-to-reach areas.

 

In the next two weeks, about 150 countries will participate in synchronized switch to a two-strain vaccine that will target type 1 and type 3 of polio virus. Immunisation against type 2 polio will not be included as the strain has been totally eradicated in 1999.

 

After 30 years of successful immunisation programme, only 12 cases were recorded worldwide this year and experts predict that the disease will be wiped out for good within a decade. If the programme succeeds, polio will become the second disease (next to smallpox) to be eradicated.

 

However, Michel Zaffran, WHO’s director of polio eradication, said that should the programme fails, the virus could spread across borders again.

 

He said: "Taking our foot off the pedal now could mean polio will within a few years spread straight back into large parts of the world and create 100,000 or 200,000 cases. 

 

"The job has not been done and will not be done until we have fully eradicated the virus."