Why in the News?

The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating a suspected new strain of polio in a two-year-old child from Tikrikilla, Meghalaya.

What is Vaccine-Derived Polio?

The Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) contains a weakened form of the poliovirus that activates an immune response in the body.
The vaccine-virus is excreted after vaccination and can circulate in the environment.
In rare cases, if the population is under-immunized, the excreted virus can mutate over time and revert to a form capable of causing paralysis.
This mutated virus is known as circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV).

	Details
Nature of Disease	Crippling and potentially deadly viral infectious disease affecting the nervous system.
Types of Poliovirus	– WPV1 (Wild Poliovirus type 1) – WPV2 (Wild Poliovirus type 2, eradicated globally) – WPV3 (Wild Poliovirus type 3, eradicated globally)
Current Status	WPV1 remains in circulation in *Afghanistan and Pakistan.*
Transmission	Primarily through the *faecal-oral route or contaminated water/food.*
Affected Population	Largely affects children *under 5 years of age.*
Impact	Virus multiplies in the intestine, may invade the *nervous system, causing paralysis.*
Prevention	– No Cure: Preventable through immunization. – Vaccines: – OPV: Oral Polio Vaccine given at birth, with doses at 6, 10, 14 weeks, and a booster at 16-24 months. – IPV: Injectable Polio Vaccine given with the 3rd dose of DPT under UIP.
India’s Status	Pulse Polio Immunization Initiative (1995) Declared polio-free by WHO in 2014, with the last wild poliovirus case reported in 2011.

[2016] ‘Mission Indradhanush’ launched by the Government of India pertains to:

(a) immunization of children and pregnant women

(b) construction of smart cities across the country

(d) New Educational Policy