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Meghalaya’s polio case derived from vaccine: Officials

Aug 15, 2024 04:49 AM IST

Vaccine-derived poliovirus is a well-documented strain of poliovirus mutated from the strain originally contained in Oral polio vaccine (OPV).

New Delhi: The case of polio confirmed in a child from West Garo Hills in Meghalaya on Tuesday involves what is termed vaccine-derived polio, which is not uncommon, confirmed an official from the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Wednesday.

Vaccine-derived poliovirus is a well-documented strain of poliovirus mutated from the strain originally contained in Oral polio vaccine (OPV). (AP)
Vaccine-derived poliovirus is a well-documented strain of poliovirus mutated from the strain originally contained in Oral polio vaccine (OPV). (AP)

“It is a case of vaccine derived polio that has been detected in a 2.5 years old child from West Garo Hills. The child is immuno-compromised and the presence of polio virus is not uncommon in persons with weak immunity,” said a senior health ministry official, requesting anonymity.

The official also added that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has assessed the situation. “It will be preparing a detailed report on the case based on their assessment.”

Vaccine-derived poliovirus is a well-documented strain of poliovirus mutated from the strain originally contained in Oral polio vaccine (OPV). OPV contains a live, weakened form of poliovirus that replicates in the intestine for a limited period, thereby helping the subject develop immunity by building up antibodies.

On rare occasions, said WHO, when replicating in the gastrointestinal tract, OPV strains genetically change and may spread in communities that are not fully vaccinated against polio, especially in areas where there is poor hygiene, poor sanitation, or overcrowding. The lower the population’s immunity, the longer this virus survives and the more genetic changes it undergoes.

In very rare instances, the vaccine-derived virus can genetically change into a form that can cause paralysis as does the wild poliovirus – this is what is known as a vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV).

According to local media reports, the child is from Tikrikilla in West Garo Hills district, and was confirmed to have contracted the virus on Tuesday. He was showing symptoms of Poliomyelitis and was taken to Goalpara in Assam, where doctors diagnosed him with the disease.

Polio is a highly infectious disease that largely affects children under five years of age, causing permanent paralysis (approximately 1 in 200 infections) or death (2-10% of those paralyzed).

The virus is transmitted from person-to-person, mainly through the fecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g., contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.

On February 24, 2012, WHO removed India from the list of countries with active endemic wild polio virus transmission as the last polio case in the country was reported from Howrah district of West Bengal on January 13, 2011.

In 2009, India had half the number of polio cases in the world. By 2011, in less than two years, India brought polio infections to zero level.

A country is declared polio-free if no case is reported for three consecutive years, and a region is declared polio-free after none of the countries under it has reported a case.

On July 8, WHO held its 39th meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) on the international spread of poliovirus.

According to data shared by WHO on vaccine derived polio virus cases, so far in 2024, there have been 72 cases confirmed, of which 68 are infected with type 2 and four are type 1. Of the 72 cases in 2024, 30 (42%) have occurred in Nigeria. Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Mozambique, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe have detected vaccine derived polio virus in the environment but have not detected any cases.

A total of 527 cases have been confirmed with vaccine derived polio in all of 2023, of which 393 were infected with type 2 and 134 were type 1 cases. Of the 527 vaccine derived cases reported in 2023, 224 (43%) occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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