India remains safe with polio and all vaccines vaccinated by the government: UNICEF, WHO

New Delhi:

While flasks of oral polio vaccine have been found contaminated with polio virus type 2, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have reiterated today the status of India as a polio – free country.

In a joint statement, UNICEF and WHO said the risk of children contracting vaccine-derived poliovirus was "minimal" in India because of the country's high routine immunization coverage.

The two global agencies also claimed that all vaccines provided under the Universal Program of Immunization (PSI) were safe and urged people to vaccinate their children not only for their protection, but also to preserve Indian polio.

"Certified polio-free in March 2014, India continues to be vigilant for all three types of poliovirus.The last case of poliovirus caused by wild poliovirus in the country was detected on January 13th. 2011, "according to the release.

She said the vaccine containing type 2 poliovirus had been eliminated in the world and in India in April 2016, as part of the polio strategy.

As in other countries, bivalent oral poliomyelitis vaccine (bOPV) has replaced trivalent OPV (tOPV) in all polio and routine immunization campaigns in India.

As advised by the Indian Expert Advisory Group, the country continues to conduct mass polio immunization campaigns, using bivalent oral poliomyelitis vaccine (bOPV), in order to maintain a high degree of immunity.

Referring to the recent incident in which type 2 polio viruses were found in wastewater and stool samples, the organizations stated that the detection of the virus demonstrated a robust, jointly managed polio surveillance system. by the Ministry of Health, WHO and its partners.

A team from the Indian Council of Medical Research, India's Comptroller General of Medicines and the Ministry of Health has investigated the matter.

"It was discovered that a few vials of bOPV, supplied by a manufacturer in India, contained traces of the type 2 polio virus. The Ministry of Health immediately decided to withdraw the vaccine provided by this manufacturer from all states. where it had been supplied.

"Although the risk of vaccine-induced poliomyelitis is minimal, the immediate withdrawal of these vaccines demonstrates the government's commitment to children's health," the statement said.

"Given the high routine immunization coverage in India under the Universal Program of Immunization (PSI), the risk of children contracting a vaccine-derived poliovirus is minimal," the statement added.

(With the exception of the title, this story was not changed by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)