Cases
of non-polio acute flaccid paralysis, better known as AFP, has sharply
increased with the increase in the administration of oral polio
vaccination (OPV) in the country under the much-acclaimed polio
eradication programme.
According to a report by Dr. Neetu Vashisht and Dr. Jacob Puliyel,
appearing in the April-June issue of the Indian Journal of Medical
Ethics, the incidence of non-polio AFP had gone up by 12 times over and
above the normal rates with the onset of the administration OPV 10
years ago. The report appeared at a time when Kerala is getting
prepared for another round of OPV on April 15.
Dr. Jacob, also a member of the national technical advisory group on
immunisation and of the working group on food and drug regulation in
the 12th Five Year Plan, told DC on Friday that there was a definite
co-relation between the increase in the number AFP and the irrational
administration of OPV.
Normally, he said, the chances of children under the age of 15 getting
affected by non-polio AFP are 1-2 per 100,000. But, the rate of
non-polio AFP nationally “is now 12 times higher than expected.” In
2011, an additional 47,500 children were newly paralyzed, over and
above the standard rate of 2 children per 100,000 non-polio AFP cases,
says the paper in the journal. Dr. Jacob said the increase in the
occurrence of non-polio AFP could be directly linked to the massive
increase in the dosage of OPV in the name of eradication. Although, the
increase in the non-polio AFP was known for quite some time, it was for
the first time that a co-relation was established by collating the data
of the national polio surveillance, he said.
“It is sad that, even after meticulous surveillance, this large excess
in the incidence of paralysis was not investigated as a possible
signal.”
, nor was any effort made to try and study the mechanism for this spurt
in non-polio AFP.” According to Dr Jacob, the dream of eradicating
polio will remain a mirage due to the existence of “residual samples of
samples virus stored in laboratories, by vaccine-derived polioviruses
or by poliovirus that is chemically synthesized with malignant intent”.
The increase in non-polio AFP might have been caused by the increase in
OPV, leading to virus strains other than that of causing polio getting
active, he said.