Polio-my-anus. The world has come together to form a great and altruistic cohort in hopes that Polio won’t leave anyone’s anus ever again. It’s a special thing to see many global leaders working to eradicate poliomyelitis. A testament to what we can accomplish in unity, and a revelation of our stubbornness and failure to tackle other issues together. Nonetheless, this truly is the endgame against polio, as several months ago polio type 3 was confirmed to be globally eradicated. Type 2 saw its last days many years ago in 1999.
For many years, it was debated as to which type of vaccine was better, the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) or the oral polio vaccine (OPV), and how they worked together. IPV is effective at preparing the immune response in the blood stream when given in several doses, yet it doesn’t activate mucousal immunity so there is a risk of shedding the virus through fecal matter. In addition, it doesn’t present the risk of reverting back to a viral agent. OPV, on the other hand, as it is an attenuated virus, may mutate and regain its “neurovirulence”. The oral vaccine is cheaper and easier to administer, though, and in activating the mucousal immunity, helps reduce the risk of fecal transmission. I find the OPV vaccine quite interesting; it’s like a double-edged sword. Since the virus continues to replicate in the host, when it spreads via water-contamination or the like, it can confer immunity to others. There is danger, though, present in populations with low immunity because the attenuated virus can continue to spread to susceptible hosts. The longer it lives, the more mutations it can acquire, and consequently the more likely it is to reestablish its armory. And, that is the source of circulating vaccine-derived polio virus (cVDPV). Fortunately, a recent study, referenced in an article by The Scientist, showed that OPV and IPV supplement each other. This information comes in a timely manner as the world preps for the final battle against polio virus.
In a meeting at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters, the Emergency Committee presented worrisome data. Afghanistan has seen a rise in cases of wild-type polio virus type 1. Due to the current state of affairs in that country, it has proven difficult to administer vaccines to certain regions. Two major issues are people refusing to accept vaccination and a government’s less than wholehearted commitment to the cause. I was surprised to hear that citizens were refusing the vaccine. The committee didn’t mention any potential reasons in the article, and I find it hard to believe that they heard about the vaccine scare in the States. However, if I wasn’t informed on how vaccines worked, I may, too, be frightened by the idea of injecting or drinking (eating?) a virus. The WHO hopes to influence the outcome for the better with financial and emotional support. In any case, we have a real-life, epic story unfolding before our eyes, and perhaps it is not as exciting as Marvel’s Endgame, but not even Captain America could fight off polio virus type 1 without a vaccine! And, that’s the truth.
BillyBiome 