Polio…What You Need to Know

Poliomyelitis has had a long history globally and in the United States. Many people believe that Polio leads to paralysis due to the Polio virus attacking the Central Nervous System. Many people may even think of Franklin Delano Roosevelt when they hear the word “Polio.” Interestingly, I learned in my Anthropology class about global health that only about 1% of cases of Polio lead to paralysis while most cases show as asymptomatic or even result in minor flu-like symptoms. Either way, it is important to receive the vaccination since Polio is the second infectious disease that has the chance to be eliminated from the world.

Polio can be treated in one of two ways, either by a live-attenuated oral vaccination (OPV) or an inactivated vaccination (IPV). Polio is caused by three different strains, so the vaccine must take into account each of these. According to a study in Science Direct, researchers found that the Type-2 strain of polio has been eradicated from the globe (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X19314446). Furthermore, the OPV strain is now being eliminated because it has been found to harbor the paralytic poliomyelitis and the IPV method is now regularly being used. Researchers in the study stated that, “AJ Vaccines has developed a dose sparing IPV, obtained by adsorption of the inactivated virus to an aluminium hydroxide (Al(OH)₃) adjuvant, which has enabled the reduction of the amount of antigen by up to ten times compared to the currently used IPV” (Bravo et al., 2020). One of the biggest concerns in the future for the inactivated vaccination is the demand for the vaccine as population growth continues to grow as well as cost and availability problems.

Unlike Smallpox, Polio has unfortunately not been eradicated. Because Polio has three strains, it will be difficult to fully eliminate it from the world. It was confirmed that the Type-2 strain had been eradicated, but according to the article Global Polio Eradication Falters in the Final Stretch, it was reported that there have been cases in Africa as of 2019 and “the culprit…is vaccine-derived polio virus type 2, and the fear is that it will jump continents and reseed outbreaks across the globe” (https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6473/14.full). As previously mentioned, the problem seems to be spreading due to the Oral vaccination (OPV) which is one of the most effective methods for eliminating the Polio virus. New methods are being taken to approach this problem and researchers are developing novel Polio vaccines to avoid global consequences that are sure to arise due to the OPV. Furthermore, “the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is debating whether to combat the resurgent virus by re-enlisting a triple-whammy vaccine pulled from global use in 2016” (Roberts, 2020). This is an extremely risky move that could result in disastrous consequences.

In my opinion, we will not see the eradication of Polio until many years down the road. Unfortunately, methods to eradicate infectious diseases is not easy and it is certainly not cheap. According to the article above, new vaccines are now having to be developed to combat Polio, resulting in more spending. In addition, finding ways to get the vaccine to their destinations is difficult, not to mention the fact that the disease can be asymptomatic, making it nearly impossible to track down exactly who has it and who may be infectious. In my opinion, the vaccination methods used to eradicate Polio have made it difficult to ensure elimination of the disease. In my Anthropology class, we learned that Smallpox was quickly and effectively wiped off the planet because health care providers used a strategy similar to herd immunity. They delivered the vaccine to those that were infected in small pockets around endemic countries. Unlike Polio, the entire population was not receiving the Smallpox vaccination. I believe that different strategies may need to be put into place so that eradication of Polio can be ensured for the future.