Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
development for polio came through in the U.S. during the 1950s. of note, the
incidence of polio was much greater in the industrialised countries throughout
the 19th and early 20th centuries.
by 1961 two vaccines had been approved for use in the U.S. (Hellman 2001).
First Jonas Salk developed an inactivated polio vaccine (IPv) administered by
injection from a killed version of the virus in 1952. More than 300 million doses were
administered in the U.S. between 1955 and 1961, resulting in a 90 percent decrease
in incidence (de Quadros et al. 1992, 239). then, in 1961, albert Sabin introduced
an oral polio vaccine (oPv) from a weakened version of the virus. because it is
administered by mouth, the oPv was more effective in halting the person-to-person
transmission and, at approximately 5 cents per dose, it 'was far easier and cheaper to
use, a major factor in large parts of the world' (Hellman 2001, 138-139). thus this
vaccine became the standard as the immunisation process began across the globe.
The first major region outside north america to focus on eliminating the polio
virus was latin america and the caribbean, where the oPv was introduced via
the ePI in 1977. Until the 1980s, of all the vaccines administered through the ePI,
OPV coverage there was the widest and led to a significant decrease in polio cases.
this encouraged the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) 'to propose the
eradication of indigenous wild poliovirus in latin america and the caribbean by 1990
through a coordinated regional effort' (levine 2005, 41). PaHo passed a resolution
in 1985 and thus launched a programme to eliminate polio from the region.
this initiative had many positive starting blocks to support its success. Key
actors were involved such as PaHo, UnIceF, the U.S. agency for International
Development (USaID), the Inter-american Development bank (IDb), the canadian
Public Health agency, and rotary International. the endemic countries were willing
and able to contribute much of the funds needed, typically 70 percent at first, later
increasing to 80 percent. a positive experience with the ePI was helpful. Moreover,
the vaccine was inexpensive, readily available, and easily administrable.
Although the campaign was well placed to take on the significant challenges that
accompany a large-scale initiative to eradicate a disease, many obstacles to reaching
remote populations and addressing the particular characteristics of the virus were
unavoidable. It takes a country three years from the date of the last case of polio to
be certified free of polio. Given of the nature of the disease, if a single case manifests
itself, the entire community is likely affected because symptoms only show up in
1 percent of those infected. thus, for eradication to become a reality, the strategy had
to be very methodological and well planned in order to achieve and maintain a high
level of vaccination coverage (de Quadros 1997). a cold chain for the delivery of
the vaccine was established. national immunisation days (nIDs) were held to boost
regular vaccinations and maximise coverage. Surveillance efforts included setting up
a network of diagnostic laboratories and reporting clinics in the endemic countries to
identify and test for new cases quickly. the training of local populations in all these
aspects of the programme was indispensable to ensure the largest success.
In all these cases rotary International either contributed the necessary funds
and resources, brought in the human resources, or rounded up experts to overcome
 
 
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