Polio doses containing P2 strain recalled
LUCKNOW: An alert has been sounded in the state and vials of polio vaccine of the B100318 batch recalled after confirmation that the vaccine, supplied under routine immunisation programme, contained P2 virus dose that was stopped by the health department a few years ago.
“We have recalled all the vials of B100318 batch. These vials were supplied for routine immunisation programme, particularly in eastern Uttar Pradesh districts like Varanasi, Allahabad, Mirzapur and Mau. An FIR has been lodged against the company as the P2 virus dose should not have been present in the bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV),” said Neena Gupta, director general, family welfare, Uttar Pradesh.
It is estimated that the vaccine supplied had reached even health centres where facility for delivery is available.
The matter came to light in Uttar Pradesh only.
The letter from immunization officer in the union ministry of health and family welfare says the vials were supplied in Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.
The vials were given particularly in Varanasi, Allahabad Gazipur, Mirzapur and a few other districts in west Uttar Pra-
› We have recalled all the vials of B100318 batch. An FIR has been lodged against the company as the P2 virus dose should not have been present in the bivalent oral polio vaccine.
NEENA GUPTA, director general, family welfare, Uttar Pradesh
desh like Agra, Aligarh, Moradabad and Meerut.
On August 5, a polio drive was conducted and two days later a child developed some problems.
“The stools test confirmed presence of P2 virus dose after which the vials were checked in the lab. When P2 virus dose was confirmed in the other samples also, it was decided to take action against the company and call the entire stock back,” said Gupta.
She said that no child reported any major problem but a few had gastro trouble.
After traces of P2 virus dose were found in stools, it was decided to run a mop up round to enhance immunity against type 2 poliovirus.
The decision to switch to inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and bivalent oral polio vac-
cine (bOPV) from trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) in polio campaigns and routine immunisation from April 2016 was taken following certification of global eradication of type 2 wild poliovirus.
The health department has collected samples from stools of children who took the vaccine in the recent polio vaccination round in districts where the vials were supplied.
“More than 80,000 samples from 45 different locations have been collected,” said Gupta.
The probe will focus on how the P2 strain was supplied in 2018 when it was decided to stop this strain in routine immunisation programme in 2016 and why the virus remained undestroyed when all the labs were to destroy it.
It will also be probed as to what was done after the problems in the vaccine were identified.