Polio Vaccine - Research Paper Example

? POLIO VACCINE and Polio Vaccine Introduction The interruption of person-to-person transmission of poliomyelitis by vaccination is the primary goal of global polio vaccination. Polio vaccine has eliminated polio from most countries around the world, and reduced the worldwide incidence from approximately three and fifty thousand in 1988 to two hundred and twenty-three cases in 2012 (United States, 2012). The regions of the world that have been certified polio-free include Europe, America, and Western Pacific. The centre for Disease control reports that there are three regions that have never interrupted the spread of wild poliovirus; these are Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. Polio crippled thirty-five thousand people annually in the United States of America between 1940 and 1950, making it the deadliest disease throughout the world (United States, 2012). The United States became polio-free in the year 1979 following extensive polio vaccination programs (World Health Organization, 2012). The Western world has been entirely successful in polio eradication; however, victory over polio cannot be achieved until the disease is eradicated from the whole world. The public and the governments of all countries are currently committed to achieve a world free of polio. Polio Polio is an infectious disease that is caused by a virus called poliovirus. The disease is crippling and potentially deadly since it invades a victim’s brain and spinal cord, leading to paralysis. Poliovirus comprises of a group of RNA viruses that colonize the gastrointestinal tract such as intestine and oropharynx (World Health Organization, 2012). Paralytic polio may be classified under three categories: spinal polio, bulbar polio and bulbosinal polio. Polio vaccine is critical in protecting people from contracting and spreading polio because it has no cure. The fight against polio has not been successful since the virus has been reintroduced and continues to spread in some countries such as the Horn of Africa where it was previously stopped. Polio victims constitute the vulnerable members of the population such as young children, pregnant women and people suffering from low immunity weakened by other medical conditions (World Health Organization, 2012). People who are not immunized are susceptible to contradicting polio. Other risk factors associated with polio transmission include visiting polio prone areas, living with people suffering from the infection, working in the laboratory where scientists have kept live poliovirus and removing tonsils. Poliovirus enters the environment though feces of an infected person. The virus spreads rapidly in areas with poor sanitation. Transmission occurs through fecal-oral route via contaminated food and water. Additionally, direct contact with a victim can cause the transmission of poliovirus. People who stay close to one another for some time can experience the transfer of the virus from the infected to the new victim since it is highly contagious. The worst symptoms of polio are paralysis and death. Nonparalytic polio causes flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache and sore throat, vomiting, back and neck pain and muscle spasms, which last for a few days (John & Vashishtha, 2012). Forms of Polio Vaccines The forms of polio vaccines that have been recommended include inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV). Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine IPV consists of a series of injections, which begin at two months after birth and continue until a child attains the age of four to six years. The reason for administering three spaced dozes is to generate adequate levels of seroconversion. Most countries consider adding a booster dose during adulthood. The inactivated poliovirus vaccine is created from inactivated poliovirus. Inactive poliovirus is safe and effective, thus cannot cause polio. Inactivated polio vaccine is made from killed wild-type poliovirus strains of each serotype. Doctors recommend lone dissemination for IPV or in a combination of other vaccines such as tetanus, haemophilus influenza, diphtheria and pertusis (World Health Organization, 2012). Countries such as Scandinavia and Netherlands have successfully used inactivated polio vaccine in programs of polio eradication. Oral Polio Vaccine Oral polio vaccine is created from attenuated form of poliovirus. Most countries prefer this vaccine because it is low-cost and easy to administer, and has the ability to provide excellent immunity in the digestive system (John & Vashishtha, 2012). One disadvantage of this form of vaccine is that it may divert to a dangerous form of poliovirus that can paralyze the victim. The mixture of live attenuated poliovirus strains is selected based on their ability to mimic the immune following infection with wild poliovirus. The medical doctors ensure that there is a minimum incidence of the infection spreading to the central nervous system. Achieving an adequate level of seroconversion requires three or more spaced doses of oral polio vaccine (Juskewitch, Tapia & Windebank, 2010). The action of oral polio vaccine (OPV) occurs in two ways. First, OPV produces serum immunity to the three types of poliovirus. When a person is exposed to poliovirus, the antibodies prevent poliovirus to the central nervous system. The second working mechanism of oral polio vaccine strains is through production of local immune response in the mucous membrane of the intestines. The mucous membranes of the intestines are the primary site for poliovirus multiplication because they provide adequate conditions for growth. The antibodies produced in this process prevent the multiplication of subsequent infections of wild poliovirus. The intestinal immune has been proven to the effective as a response to stopping person-to-person transmission of naturally occurring poliovirus (Crovari, 2010). Oral polio vaccine produces an adaptive mechanism and acclimatizes the body immunity towards poliovirus. When polio strikes, the body has already developed sufficient antibodies to counteract the adversities of wild poliovirus. There are some cases where the administration of oral polio vaccine convert to neurovirulent forms of wild poliovirus. The administration of oral polio vaccine may result in vaccine-associated paralysis, which has become neurovirulent and transmissible (Juskewitch, Tapia & Windebank, 2010). Medical researchers have found out that this may result in infectious poliomyelitis. Participants in Polio Vaccination Programs Governments across the world highly recommend polio vaccinations in all people who have not been vaccinated. Polio is a deadly disease that must be monitored and prevented by governments at all costs governments (Crovari, 2010). The role of governments is to provide the funding required to carry out medical research, buy polio vaccine ingredients, transport the vaccine to destined areas and pay dissemination expenses. The United States government realized that polio was crippling a huge proportion of the population between 1940 and 1950. The government embarked on extensive polio vaccination during the 1960s, which led to more than 99 percent reduction in polio cases by the year 2012 (United States, 2012). The governments of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria might not have fully funded the polio vaccination. This could be because of scarcity of resources to finance the exercise since these countries are still in the category of the less-developed world. Other countries in their regions such as Africa, however, have been successful in eradicating polio. Thus, there could be a lack of commitment by the unsuccessful governments to finance regular and consistent polio vaccination. Medical organizations also play a critical role in polio eradication. These organizations include government-funded agencies and international institutions focusing on health of populations. Centre for Disease Control (CDC) is a strategic partner in polio eradication efforts worldwide. The CDC contributes to these initiatives by providing scientific expertise to polio eradication programs. Global Immunization Division (GID) members of staff work jointly with World Health Organization and Health Ministries to plan, implement and monitor polio surveillance and immunizations in multiple countries across the globe (United States, 2012). The Polio and Picornavirus Laboratory in Centres for Disease Control Division of Viral Diseases serve as the Global Specialized Laboratory for World health Organization. The factory also provides programmatic and technical aid to global laboratory network in the fight against polio. Conclusion Most countries of the world have been successful in eradicating polio out of their countries. Poliovirus is a virus that causes polio if a person is exposed to it. Polio is a crippling and deadly disease that invades a victim’s brain and spinal cord, and ends up paralyzing the victim. Medical researchers classify paralytic polio into spinal, bulbar and bulbosinal. People prone to polio include children, pregnant women and low-immune people. It is critical to vaccinate the populations against polio since the infection has no cure. Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV) are the two forms of polio vaccines that have been recommended by doctors worldwide. Oral polio vaccine works through production of serum of immunity to poliovirus and production of local response in the mucous membranes of the intestines. Governmental and non-governmental institutions are working hard towards ensuring a polio-free world. The governments provide funding and personnel that participate in polio eradication programs. Agencies such as the CDC collaborate with the World Health Organization and National Health Ministries to train personnel and set up laboratories required for medical testing and dissemination of polio vaccine. References Crovari, P. (2010). Public health history corner: History of polio vaccination in Italy. Italian Journal of Public Health, 7(3), 322-324. John, T. J., & Vashishtha, V. M. (2012). Polio vaccination in Pakistan. Lancet, 380(9854), 1645-1646. Juskewitch, J. E., Tapia, C. J., & Windebank, A. J. (2010). Lessons from the Salk polio vaccine: methods for and risks of rapid translation. Clinical and Translational Science, 3(4), 182-185. United States. (2012). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Atlanta, Ga: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/ World Health Organization. (2012). World health statistics 2012. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/en/ Bibliography http://www.cdc.gov/polio/what/ http://www.who.int/features/qa/64/en/ http://www.who.int/biologicals/areas/vaccines/polio/ipv/en/index.html http://www.who.int/biologicals/areas/vaccines/polio/opv/en/ http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/polio-vaccine-ipv http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/polio/#vacc Read More