Polio

• 19 Apr 2022

For Prelims: Polio, Universal Immunisation Programme, WHO.

For Mains: Government Policies & Interventions, Polio, its spread, vaccine and eradication measures.

Why in News?

With the possibility of a new Covid-19 variant triggering a fresh surge in cases, the Centre has told the states to send sewage samples to all sentinel sites that currently carry out surveillance of Poliovirus.

• Sentinel surveillance is the "monitoring of rate of occurrence of specific diseases/conditions through a voluntary network of doctors, laboratories and public health departments with a view to assess the stability or change in health levels of a population".

What is Polio?

• About:
  • Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly viral infectious disease that affects the nervous system.
  • There are three individual and immunologically distinct wild poliovirus strains:
    • Wild Poliovirus type 1 (WPV1)
    • Wild Poliovirus type 2 (WPV2)
    • Wild Poliovirus type 3 (WPV3)
  • Symptomatically, all three strains are identical, in that they cause irreversible paralysis or even death.
  • However, there are genetic and virological differences, which make these three strains separate viruses which must each be eradicated individually.
• Spread:
  • The virus is transmitted by person-to-person mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example, through contaminated water or food).
  • It largely affects children under 5 years of age. The virus multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis.
• Symptoms:
  • Most people with polio do not feel sick. Some people have only minor symptoms, such as fever, tiredness, nausea, headache, pain in the arms and legs, etc.
  • In rare cases, polio infection causes permanent loss of muscle function (paralysis).
  • Polio can be fatal if the muscles used for breathing are paralysed or if there is an infection of the brain.
• Prevention and Cure:
  • There is no cure, but it can be prevented through Immunisation.
• Vaccines:
  • Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV): It is given orally as a birth dose for institutional deliveries, then primary three doses at 6, 10 and 14 weeks and one booster dose at 16-24 months of age.
  • Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV): It is introduced as an additional dose along with the 3rd dose of DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus) under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).
• Recent Outbreaks:
  • In 2019, polio outbreaks were recorded in the Philippines, Malaysia, Ghana, Myanmar, China, Cameroon, Indonesia and Iran, which were mostly vaccine-derived in which a rare strain of the virus genetically mutated from the strain in the vaccine.
    • According to the WHO (World Health Organisation), if the oral vaccine-virus is excreted and allowed to circulate in an unimmunised or under-immunised population for at least 12 months, it can mutate to cause infections.
• India & Polio:
  • India received polio-free certification by the WHO in 2014, after three years of zero cases.
    • This achievement has been spurred by the successful Pulse Polio Campaign in which all children were administered polio drops.
    • The last case due to wild poliovirus in the country was detected on 13th January 2011.

What are the Polio Eradication Measures?

• Global:
  • Global Polio Eradication Initiative:
    • It was launched in 1988 by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), by national governments and World Health Organization (WHO). Presently, 80% of the world’s population is now living in certified polio-free regions.
      • An estimated 1.5 million childhood deaths have been prevented, through the systemic administration of vitamin A during polio immunisation activities.
  • World Polio Day:
    • It is observed every year on 24^th October in order to call on countries to stay vigilant in their fight against the disease.
• Indian:
  • Pulse Polio Programme:
    • It was started with an objective of achieving hundred percent coverage under Oral Polio Vaccine.
  • Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0:
    • It was a nationwide immunisation drive to mark the 25 years of Pulse polio programme (2019-20).
  • Universal Immunization Programme (UIP):
    • It was launched in 1985 with the modification to ‘Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI).
    • The objectives of the Programme include: Rapidly increasing immunisation coverage, Improving the quality of services, Establishing a reliable cold chain system to the health facility level, Introducing a district-wise system for monitoring of performance, Achieving self-sufficiency in vaccine production.

Source: IE