Injectable polio vaccine to be added to K-P govt’s arsenal

IPV, alongside OPV, to be used first in Bannu and Peshawar.

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government plans to add the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) to its ongoing campaign against the crippling virus in the province. The Express Tribune has learnt the government will launch an IPV drive in the high-risk districts of Bannu and Peshawar with support from partner organisations.

The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by K-P health minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, held two days ago with representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), Unicef and Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi.

The current situation of the polio outbreak was discussed in detail while the minister expressed concern over the growing number of polio cases in the province. Representatives of AKUH gave a detailed presentation about the efficacy of using the IPV.

K-P is the second province to announce the use of IPV this year. Sindh made a similar announcement earlier in September regarding the use of IPV in high-risk areas in Karachi and the injectable vaccine has been used in Kashmor, Sindh and Bajaur Agency
in 2013.

Why the injectable vaccine?

The K-P expanded programme on immunisation’s deputy director Dr Raheem Khattak told The Express Tribune it has been decided to launch an IPV campaign in Bannu and Peshawar in November. He said the IPV is highly effective in preventing the disease which is caused by three types of the polio virus. However, experts say poliovirus type 2 and 3 no longer pose a threat to the country.

According to Khattak, the IPV is currently being used in the majority of polio free, developed countries in the world. He said Pakistan is one of the last three countries to get rid of the crippling disease and has been using the oral polio vaccine (OPV) since the virus secured a foothold in the country.

Responding to a question about the expected unwillingness of parents to allow their children to be vaccinated with the use of an injection, Khattak said the IPV is a part of the routine vaccination course administered to infants before the age of one and parents are already familiar with these injections.

He maintained the OPV will also be administered as an additional dose to prevent the outbreak of the disease. Khattak added if the campaign produces healthy results, it will be extended to all other high-risk districts.

Unicef immunisation officer Dr Bilal Ahmad also told The Express Tribune the IPV vaccine is used in almost all polio-free countries, adding the only concern is the cost of the vaccine and the requirement of trained health workers, sterile equipment and procedures. Ahmed said the Unicef will continue to assist the government in the campaign against polio.

In a murky precedent set earlier this year, several children died after being administered with an injectable measles vaccine in Tank. The lack of safe administration facilities, equipment and trained personnel makes the usage of IPV a risky endeavour.

IPV vs OPV

According to the WHO, the orally-administered polio vaccine (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) are the two widely used weapons against the crippling epidemic.

OPV is the vaccine of choice in most polio-infested countries because of its cost-effectiveness, its superiority in body adaptability and its ease of administration. The antibodies that it creates remain active both inside the body and in body excretions.

This not only helps the subject to remain immunised but also keeps the environment of a high-risk polio area safe. This is the reason why the OPV has primarily been the ideal vaccine for polio eradication.

On the flipside, the IPV is an expensive vaccine administered through injections. The method requires care and training, in order to keep the process sterile. It is widely used in polio-free countries because the environment there does not pose   a risk of the virus’ spread.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2014.