Nigeria has introduced the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) to boost its polio eradication strategy .
The IPV replaces the Oral Polio Vaccine OPV which has live antigens and could cause paralysis.
Introducing the IPV in Abuja, the Supervising Minister of Health, Dr Khaliru Alhassan announced that the IPV will help fill the immunity gap against type 2 polio virus should it reoccur, thereby reducing the risks of transmission in case of outbreaks.
There has not been any case of the Type 2 strain of the Wild Polio Virus globally since 1999, but there are chances that it can be derived from the vaccines already in existence.
According to Alhassan, ”the vaccine is safe for use on children less than one year of age’, adding that ”a single dose will be administered to children at 14 weeks or at first contact.”
The introduction of the IPV is part of the end game strategy, as Nigeria is hopeful of eradicating the Polio Virus this year, he added.
There has been a 99% reduction in cases of wild polio virus since 1988 and in Nigeria, the last case of polio recorded in was in July 2014.
The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Ado Mohammed, also said that federal government and partners were making efforts to accelerate introduction of new vaccines into the country to reduce child morbidity and mortality.
Source: VON
