What
are the contraindications of polio vaccine?
OPV is contraindicated in patients with low immunity especially
if IPV is available. OPV can be given to a patient with diarrhea,
but that dose should not be counted & should be followed by
an extra dose. IPV is contraindicated if patient has developed severe
adverse effect to its use in past.
What
if a child comes late for polio vaccine?
Paralytic poliomyelitis can occur till 15 years of age. Most of
the children are immune by 5 years naturally due to subclinical
infections. Hence, OPV is given to any child who presents till 5
years of age. Such a child should receive 3 primary doses followed
by 1st booster 1 year after 3rd primary dose & a second booster
3 years –4 years after the 1st booster dose provided the child
is still less than 5 years old then.
Can
polio vaccine be given along with other vaccines?
Both OPV /IPV can be given along with other vaccines.
What
is pulse polio immunization?
It is a strategy of mass immunization by which one can eradicate
poliomyelitis. Extra doses (pulses) of OPV are given to all children
below 5 years of age in an area (like country, state, city) at a
time on a given day. Such pulses are repeated every year. The aim
is to achieve 100% coverage.
How
does pulse immunization work?
Wild poliovirus can survive either in the intestines of a susceptible
host (usually children < 5 years of age) or in the sewage water.
In the sewage water it can survive only for 48 – 72 hrs &
hence it has to find shelter into another susceptible host for it
to survive & to continue cycle of transmission. When you give
pulse OPV to all the children of < 5 years of age, the intestines
of these children are flooded by vaccine virus and hence wild poliovirus
cannot get entry into it. As wild poliovirus cannot survive for
more than 48-72 hrs in environment, its circulation will drastically
fall. When such pulse is repeated after 6 weeks it still further
reduces transmission. Such pulses done every year will ultimately
eradicate the wild poliovirus from nature.
Do
you need to give regular OPV doses when pulse OPV is taken?
The answer is an emphatic yes.
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