Innovation Needed For Polio Eradication

In 1988, there were 350,000 reported cases of poliomyelitis globally. According to the independent monitoring board formed by WHO Director General Margaret Chen, in 2010 there were just 1294 reported cases. And although in 2010 the number of polio cases decreased significantly in India and Afghanistan (90% and 34%, respectively), Pakistan has seen an increase from 89 cases in 2009 to 144 cases in 2010. And for the first three months 2011, Chad, the DRC, and Pakistan all had more cases than reported for that period in 2011.

The take-away point from this article was that although we are making significant steps to eradicate Polio, we are going to have to do much better in terms of vaccinating the isolated communities, vaccination education, and creating a more reliable vaccine. In Pakistan, almost 44% of the 144 patients had previously been given more than one dose of OPV (oral polio vaccine). The article mentions studies that have had the highest seroconversion levels combine OPV and an inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine into one cocktail - but doesn't cite these studies.

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Emily Pollock