Beware! Contaminated oral polio vaccines with type-2 virus given to children in these states; know where
A shocking news has come to light that some vials of the oral polio vaccine given to the children are contaminated with the type-2 poliovirus. Yes, these contaminated vaccines given to the children in the states like Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, confirms health ministry officials.
As per the reports of HT, the vials were manufactured by a Ghaziabad-based pharmaceutical company. However, the health ministry has taken the action over it and also released an advisory to the three states so as to ensure that polio surveillance team could trace those children who have been fed with this oral contaminated vaccines.
Also, the surveillance team would also monitor the children so that they could know the side effects of the vaccines on any child’s health, said health officials.
Under the national immunisation programme, the health ministry will also ensure that the inactivated poliovirus (IPV) injections are administered to all children in the affected states so that no child can be missed.
As per the reports, till now, only one batch found containing 50,000 vials contaminated polio vaccine with a type-2 virus. Also, two more suspected batches have been found containing 1 lakh vials which are to be contaminated with the virus.
However, the incident come to light when the sign of the virus was found in the stool samples of some children in Uttar Pradesh.
The ministry has also ordered the immediate withdrawal of the particular manufacturer’s vaccine.
The government had also set up a committee to investigate the contamination of some batches of the vaccine.
However, the type 2 virus has been eradicated worldwide.
First published: 2 October 2018, 8:45 IST