Inactivated poliovirus vaccine and the final stages of poliovirus eradication

The use of the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) will increase before an d probably also after the global eradication of the wild type poliovirus. B efore eradication. the switch from the use of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) to IPV has been due to the better safety record of IPV. Introduction of IP V in the regular immunisation schedules is made easier by the development o f several combination vaccines, including IPV. Maternal antibodies and youn g age, often considered problematic for early initiation of IPV schedules. did not compromise optimal maintenance of seropositivity during infancy or long-term persisting antibody levels in our studies. OPV-derived, potential ly pathogenic and transmissible poliovirus strains, excreted by some indivi duals for years, may present a problem for a blunt stopping of all polio im munisations after eradication. Our recent results suggest that locally excr eted IgA might have a role in the elimination of poliovirus infection in th e intestinal tissues. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.