In keeping with its commitment to the ‘global polio endgame strategy’, the Government on Monday launched the injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) in India to be introduced into national immunisation program along with oral polio vaccine in phase wise.
In the first phase, the IPV will be introduced in six States Assam, Gujarat, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
It aims to provide double protection to children and securing gains of polio eradication, said Health Minister JP Nadda after launching the vaccine under the programme.
IPV injection will be given to children below one year of age along with the third dose of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) at the routine immunisation sessions free of cost, he stated. New evidences now clearly show that IPV and OPV together will further strengthen the children’s immune system and will provide double protection against polio, the Health Minister added. Nadda said that introduction of IPV in routine immunisation is as per recommendation made in World Health Assembly in May, 2015 and endorsed by Global Polio Endgame Strategy. IPV will roll-out to 126 countries which are only using OPV in the National program and it will be the largest and fastest globally-coordinated vaccine introduction project in history.
“With the introduction of IPV in their immunisation schedule, India moves the world much closer to being polio-free”, said Olivier Charmeil, President and CEO of Sanofi Pasteur. Sanofi Pasteur’s affiliate Hyderabad-based Shantha Biotechnics have developed the vaccine for India.