Extra dose of polio vaccine boosts immunity in children under 5 years old

Giving children under 5 years old an extra dose of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) helps to boost their immunity to the poliovirus and should be added to vaccination programmes in polio-endemic countries and those facing a high risk of imported cases, suggests new research published in The Lancet. Lead author Dr Jacob John from Christian Medical College, India explains: Adding a supplementary IPV dose to children already vaccinated with oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) may hasten polio eradication by boosting herd immunity in endemic regions, act as a booster to prevent international spread by travellers, and minimise the risk of polio outbreaks due to imported wildtype or vaccine-derived polioviruses. Mass vaccination with OPV has successfully eliminated wild poliovirus from most of the world, although it remains endemic in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan, and imported cases have led to large outbreaks in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Although OPV is highly effective, easy to administer, and relatively...