Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV): A new tool in the fight against polio – Watch to know more about it!

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: With the introduction of injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) last November, India reached another milestone in the fight against the highly contagious diesease.

In 2014, World Health Organisation (WHO) declared India as a polio-free nation. India had reported no polio cases from 2011 to 2014.

For decades, the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) has been the main tool used to eradicate polio. To prevent re-emergence of polio, the IPV injection was launched in India by the Health Minister JP Nadda in in Novemeber last year as part of its commitment to the “Global Polio Endgame Strategy”.

Starting April 25, 2016, the government of India included IPV in the vaccination programme, along with oral polio vaccine to give children double protection against the infectious disease.

What is IPV?

IPV is an injectable form of polio vaccine which can be administered alone or in combination with other vaccines like OPV (oral polio vaccine), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and haemophilus influenza.

Contraindications for IPV-

There are two contraindications for IPV:

If anyone has a history of an allergic reaction

If any infants with known allergy to streptomycin, neomycin, or polymyxin B because they all are inactive components for IPV

Is IPV safe for premature Infants?

Yes, IPV is safe for premature infants.

Is IPV useful for immune deficient population?

Yes, it is safe. IPV can be safely administered to children with immune deficiencies (e.g., HIV, congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, sickle cell disease). In fact, because of the elevated risk of vaccine-associated paralytic polio after the use of OPV in patients with immune deficiencies, IPV is universally recommended in these children.

Watch to learn more about the injectable polio vaccine here:

Video credit: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare/YouTube

Polio (poliomyelitis) mainly affects children under 5 years of age and is caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. Polio cannot be cured, but it can be prevented.

(Source: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare)