Polio - the disease that just won't go away

[HeatherHeather]

The Eradication of Polio — Progress and Challenges

. . . most children in the northern part of the country (India) are now receiving more than 12 doses of vaccine before their second birthday (many more than the number of doses that are recommended for routine vaccinations, but necessary to attain immunity in high-risk areas and to eradicate the virus in some populations) . . . Moreover, a median of 10 reported vaccine doses have been received by persons who have contracted poliomyelitis; this has raised questions about the efficacy of the vaccine. The quality and potency of the vaccine have been tested and shown to be adequate, but various biologic and ecologic factors such as other enteric infections and poor nutrition may be contributing to its reduced effectiveness in inducing immunity in these particular reservoir populations . . . During the past couple of years, several outbreaks associated with vaccine-derived polioviruses have also challenged the program.

bolding mine

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/...2508?query=TOC

Damn, do you think giving all the children more than 12 doses before their 2nd birthday has anything to do with the outbreaks of vaccine-derived polio? One country had 46 cases of vaccine-derived polio and only 8 of wild type. Makes you wonder why they keep vaccinating.

[Plummeting]

I think this should be added to the polio stickie. Thanks, HeatherHeather!

[LongIsland]

[LongIsland]

The World Health Organization plans to stop using oral polio vaccine three years after the last transmission of wild polio virus is detected, and an antiviral drug may be needed to control potential outbreaks of the disease in the future.

"The development of one or more antiviral drugs against poliovirus, although expensive, serves as an insurance policy that provides an additional means of reacting to repeated outbreaks due to continued circulation of vaccine-derived strains, should they occur," the committee concluded. [emphasis added]

From an AP article:

The committee also expressed concerns that in some people with weakened immune systems the live virus can develop into a continuing infection in which they shed the virus for an unknown length of time.

While the number of these individuals is exceedingly small, the committee said, their actual number cannot yet be determined.

[HeatherHeather]

What I want to know is, if the vaccine works, why 12 doses by age 2. :

[HeatherHeather]

[mamakay]

Did y'all know the radical provax camp is blaming "antivax conspracy theories" on this.
Seriously. They are.
In that provax blogosphere they're saying polio is still circulating over there because Muslium clerics are spreading "antivax conspiracy theories".

What a weird world we live in...

[Laurel723]

Originally Posted by HeatherHeather

What I want to know is, if the vaccine works, why 12 doses by age 2. :

To repeatedly perform the same action and expect a different result is the definition of insanity.

I think we've arrived. :

[lyttlewon]

Originally Posted by HeatherHeather

but various biologic and ecologic factors such as other enteric infections and poor nutrition may be contributing to its reduced effectiveness

So basically they think the vaccine would be effective if not for the factors above? Would people be having bad cases of polio at all if it wasn't for the factors mentioned above? I was under the impression polio is a benign disease in most people so is the absence of the above conditions making it appear as if the vaccine has worked in other people when in truth they just contracted a mild version? I guess what I am asking is if the polio vaccine really works in totally healthy people?

[mamakay]

I guess what I am asking is if the polio vaccine really works in totally healthy people?

I'm sure OPV does. (if you don't mind catching a monkey virus or 12 along with it).
Or it should for a while, at least.
But then again, live vaccine virus strains seem to continue attenuating over time, so maybe not. It would be hard to tell since no one's looking for polio in healthy populations.

[Gitti]

Originally Posted by mamakay

It would be hard to tell since no one's looking for polio in healthy populations.

Exactly and who knows how many of us have antibodies to the wild polio virus and just never had symptoms.
But what is guillain barre syndrome?

[Scattershoot]

Originally Posted by Gitti

But what is guillain barre syndrome?

I had a long talk with a mom the other day. She told me the details of her son's terrible health condition. He started feeling weak one evening and then quickly deterioroated until he was paralyzed. He needed artificial assistance to breathe. He spent months in and out of the hospital while slowly recovering. The doctors called his condition Guillain-Barre. I told her it sounded an awful lot like paralytic polio and she said, "No, the doctors said it was Guillain-Barre." So that's it. The doctors said it was Guillain-Barre so it was Guillain-Barre and not polio. No wonder polio has been eradicated by such magnificent vaccines.

[True Blue]

Guillaine-Barre is considered a syndrome, not a virus, like polio.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/gbs/gbs.htm

[HeatherHeather]

Pssst, True Blue, Gitti was being facetious.

[True Blue]

That's what happens when you try to read and post with screaming children.