Amidst concerns over wild polio virus (Type-2) being found in sewage water in Amberpet, a thickly populated area of Hyderabad, the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday said it was a vaccine-derived polio virus (VDPV) and does not change the polio-free status of India. Despite this, the Telangana Government has decided to launch a vaccination drive covering all kids in the age group of six weeks to three years as a preventive measure.
State Principal Secretary, Health, Rajeshwar Tiwari, said that the vaccination drive will be taken up from June 20 to 26 and will cover 3,36,000 children in Hyderabad and neighbouring Ranga Reddy districts.
Instead of the normal Bivalent oral vaccines, this time anti-polio injections will be adminitered as the oral drops do not contain the Type-2 Polio Virus.
“There is no need to panic. As India has been declared ‘Polio Free’ five years ago, tests are carried out regularly to ascertain if there are traces of polio virus in the environment. If it is found, vaccination has to be carried out again in that area so that the children are not affected,” said Tiwari.
Incidentally, between January 2015 and May 2016, a total of 14 sewage samples collected from different parts of the country tested positive for VDPVs. However, the last case due to the Type 2 strain in India was detected on January 13, 2011 and the country was certified polio-free by WHO in March 2014.
The virus found in Hyderabad was from one of the 30 samples collected from all over the country two weeks ago and tested at Enterovirus Research Center in Mumbai.
The finding of the Type-2 strain in Hyderabad created a stir at the international level as it raised questions about the claims that polio was totally eradicated from India five years ago. The WHO has issued an alert. Officials said two lakh vaccines were being airlifted from Geneva.
Explaining the difference between the Type-2 strain and other strains, Dr G Srinivas Rao, Chief Programme Officer, National Health Mission (Telangana), said that a child who may have been administered the oral vaccine about a year back might have passed the virus through stool. “It is a very rare, one in a million case, and happens when the immunity of a child is low,” he added.
At an emergency meeting of the officials of Medical and Health Department in Hyderabad it was decided to set up 756 vaccination centres in Hyderabad and 122 in Range Reddy district.
Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry said a review of the area revealed that the population immunity against the Type-2 strain is high as trivalent oral polio vaccine (OPV) was in use in the State until April 24 and two mass vaccination campaigns were conducted in January and February.
“Ninety-four per cent children received at least three doses of OPV. Therefore, chances of its transmission are unlikely,” the Ministry said.