How many doses of polio vaccine does a child need? 10, 20 or even more?
Bangladeshi children have been afflicted with the wild polio virus even after taking as many as 23 doses of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), a government document reveals.
The 18 cases were found in 2006 – the latest being available – when the government said the virus came in from India, where it was endemic then. But it did not divulge details of those cases.
It was reported that the government had also said that the new cases were found after 2000 since special immunisation campaign was not conducted in the earlier year.
The document, a copy of which is available with bdnews24.com, showed that an eight and a half years old boy had been detected with the virus even though he received 23 doses of vaccine.
Two others got the virus despite being administered 12 doses of vaccines and at least one received 11 doses. The remainder of the 18 children received 10 doses each.
Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque told bdnews24.com that he had no idea as he was not in charge then. "I'll seek documents from EPI (Expanded Programme on Immunisation)," he said.
Child specialist National Professor M R Khan said a study was needed to find out the reason.
He, however, told bdnews24.com that they might get the virus because "either the vaccines were ineffective or the children were immune-compromised."
The EPI routinely immunises children in 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 14 weeks and in 9 months with 'trivalent' OPV, despite the fact that the strain-2 of the virus has been wiped off the world long before.
Moreover, National Immunisation Day is being observed since 1995 twice a year when all children below five years old get the vaccine.
EPI Programme Manager Dr Tajul Islam A. Bari said they had plans to investigate those cases. "But it did not happen." He could not say why, though.
Bari, however, said: "The live attenuated vaccine (OPV) that we use sometimes may not develop immunity among countries in developing children because of severe malnutrition."
Dr K Zaman, a Senior Scientist with the ICDDR, B, told bdnews24.com that the reason why so many were afflicted with the virus despite having many doses of vaccine needed to be investigated.
"OPV that is used in Bangladesh is a live attenuated viral vaccine and the vaccine virus can mutate and acquire neuro-virulence causing paralysis either due to vaccine-associated paralysis polio or due to circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses."
He said some developed countries use injectable form of polio vaccine.
The EPI programme manager, however, said they had to use the trivalent vaccines due to shortage of bivalent vaccines in the world.
Bangladeshi children have been afflicted with the wild polio virus even after taking as many as 23 doses of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), a government document reveals.
The 18 cases were found in 2006 – the latest being available – when the government said the virus came in from India, where it was endemic then. But it did not divulge details of those cases.
It was reported that the government had also said that the new cases were found after 2000 since special immunisation campaign was not conducted in the earlier year.
The document, a copy of which is available with bdnews24.com, showed that an eight and a half years old boy had been detected with the virus even though he received 23 doses of vaccine.
Two others got the virus despite being administered 12 doses of vaccines and at least one received 11 doses. The remainder of the 18 children received 10 doses each.
Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque told bdnews24.com that he had no idea as he was not in charge then. "I'll seek documents from EPI (Expanded Programme on Immunisation)," he said.
Child specialist National Professor M R Khan said a study was needed to find out the reason.
He, however, told bdnews24.com that they might get the virus because "either the vaccines were ineffective or the children were immune-compromised."
The EPI routinely immunises children in 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 14 weeks and in 9 months with 'trivalent' OPV, despite the fact that the strain-2 of the virus has been wiped off the world long before.
Moreover, National Immunisation Day is being observed since 1995 twice a year when all children below five years old get the vaccine.
EPI Programme Manager Dr Tajul Islam A. Bari said they had plans to investigate those cases. "But it did not happen." He could not say why, though.
Bari, however, said: "The live attenuated vaccine (OPV) that we use sometimes may not develop immunity among countries in developing children because of severe malnutrition."
Dr K Zaman, a Senior Scientist with the ICDDR, B, told bdnews24.com that the reason why so many were afflicted with the virus despite having many doses of vaccine needed to be investigated.
"OPV that is used in Bangladesh is a live attenuated viral vaccine and the vaccine virus can mutate and acquire neuro-virulence causing paralysis either due to vaccine-associated paralysis polio or due to circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses."
He said some developed countries use injectable form of polio vaccine.
The EPI programme manager, however, said they had to use the trivalent vaccines due to shortage of bivalent vaccines in the world.
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