Telangana govt. issues “global emergency” after polio virus found in Hyderabad
A global emergency was sounded by the Telangana government following the finding of an active strain of wild polio virus(P2 strain) in water that was collected from a drain. This prompted the government to lift two lakh vaccines from Geneva so that over 3 lakh children in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district could be inoculated from Wednesday as a preventive measure.
The Vaccine Derived Polio Virus(VDPV) which hasn’t been observed in India for over five years now resurfaces not just in the subcontinent. Reports are coming from neighbouring nations and West Asia as well.
Special vaccination campaign in the making
The event has prompted the government to make a decision to conduct a special campaign against Polio in parts of Ranga Reddy and Hyderabad from June 20 to June 26. The same strain was also previously detected in Gujarat, UP, Delhi and Bihar.
In Hyderabad, the strain was discovered in water sample taken from the Amberpet sewerage treatment plant on the 17th of May. The sample was among 30 samples collected from different places in the city, as part of a routine surveillance.
Dr.G.Srinivasa Rao, Chief Programme Officer, National Health Mission, Telengana said that the P2 strain is vaccine derived and that someone who was vaccinated about 10 months to an year ago released the strain through stool. He added that such rare cases take place when a child’s immunity is very low. It is to avoid such rare cases that the P2 strain is not longer given in vaccines.
The special campaign would see children between the ages of six weeks and three years getting additional doses of injectable polio vaccine(IPV). Special booths are to be installed in places that come under the campaign. However, there won’t be any door-to-door vaccination campaign.
Dr. Rao added that WHO set standards will be followed during the campaign.
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