Polio News and Research

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Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. Naturally occurring polio was eliminated in the U.S. in 1979 and in the Western Hemisphere by 1991; however, worldwide efforts are continuing towards eradication of this contagious and devastating disease.

Strengthen health systems to integrate polio vaccinations into routine childhood immunizations, Save the Children report says

Speaking at the GAVI Partners Forum in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, David Olayemi, senior program adviser at Save the Children in Abuja, Nigeria, said fewer than half of children in Nigeria are receiving routine immunizations for diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough (DTP), and the rate is dropping, Guardian health editor Sarah Boseley reports in her "Global Health Blog."

7 Dec 2012

Vaccine-derived polio outbreak shows gaps in immunization coverage in Pakistan

Though "Pakistan has made a lot of progress this year in wiping out polio," a "recent outbreak of polio there has health officials concerned about the overall effectiveness of the effort to eliminate polio in that country," NPR's "Shots" blog reports.

6 Dec 2012

New method promises to boost stem cell production in laboratory

A new method for generating stem cells from mature cells promises to boost stem cell production in the laboratory, helping to remove a barrier to regenerative medicine therapies that would replace damaged or unhealthy body tissues.

5 Dec 2012

Showing progress in the 'decade of vaccines'

In a post on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Christopher Elias, president of global development at the foundation, discusses progress on "the Decade of Vaccines, a vision and commitment to reach all people with the vaccines they need."

4 Dec 2012

Nearly 63,000 people visit online catch-up immunization scheduling tool

Children obtain protection against certain diseases by receiving vaccinations, but they commonly miss recommended times to receive these immunizations. Once a child falls behind, health care professionals typically have to construct a unique, personalized catch-up schedule for each child - often while the child waits in the treatment room.

29 Nov 2012

Diptheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine: an interview with Dr. Rudi Eggers, World Health Organisation

The Diptheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine is sometimes also called the “triple vaccine” and has been around for about 50 years, and it protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. These are serious diseases caused by bacteria.

28 Nov 2012

Microneedle-based measles vaccine can immunize against measles

Measles vaccine given with painless and easy-to-administer microneedle patches can immunize against measles at least as well as vaccine given with conventional hypodermic needles, according to research done by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

28 Nov 2012

Global Polio Eradication Initiative IMB report optimistic but warns of possible polio resurgence in 2013

Though there is "significant risk" of a resurgence of polio in 2013, a new report from the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is optimistic about the eradication of the disease, noting that 99.9 percent of polio has been stopped worldwide, with 175 cases reported so far in 2012 compared with 350,000 reported in 1988, BBC News reports.

28 Nov 2012

Global health programs need to address community needs

A "key problem" in reaching the goal of polio elimination "may well be that organizers of the global anti-polio initiative, and of other global health programs, are not listening to the people they want to help -- or to each other," Thomas Abraham, an associate professor in the Journalism and Media Studies Center at the University of Hong Kong, writes in a New York Times opinion piece.

21 Nov 2012

Washington Post examines polio eradication efforts in Pakistan

The Washington Post reports on polio eradication efforts in Pakistan, writing, "[O]verall trends in Pakistan, where nearly 30 million children have been vaccinated in recent years, are encouraging."

20 Nov 2012

Number of polio cases worldwide reaches record low, but experts say challenges remain

"The number of polio cases worldwide reached a record low in 2012, giving experts confidence that the disease can finally be eradicated, according to presentations made at" the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) in Atlanta on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reports (11/13).

15 Nov 2012

Polio vaccination refusal in Nigeria continues to thwart eradication efforts

The number of reported cases of wild poliovirus infection in northern Nigeria has risen significantly in the last few years, which researchers say is largely due to vaccine refusals and problems with healthcare infrastructure in the country.

14 Nov 2012

NPR, GlobalPost examine polio in Nigeria

NPR's "Shots" blog reports on an update about the polio situation in Nigeria, published Thursday in the CDC's latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), writing, "Despite beefed-up efforts to vaccinate kids and a flood of new resources, ... there have been twice as many polio cases as last year, and a few communities, where kids chronically miss vaccines, are serving as 'sanctuaries' for the poliovirus, giving it a place to replicate and survive."

14 Nov 2012

RTS,S vaccine candidate can help protect African infants against malaria

International African Vaccinology Conference, Cape Town, South Africa-Results from a pivotal, large-scale Phase III trial, published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine, show that the RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate can help protect African infants against malaria.

9 Nov 2012

WHO survey shows low knowledge level, acceptance of polio vaccine among Pashtun Pakistanis

"Polio will never be eradicated in Pakistan until a way is found to persuade poor Pashtuns to embrace the vaccine, according to a study released by the World Health Organization" in its November bulletin, the New York Times reports.

7 Nov 2012

Sabin initiates Part II of Na-GST-1 vaccine Phase I hookworm trial

The Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) today announced the start of Part II of its Phase I clinical trial of the Na-GST-1 vaccine candidate, marking another major milestone in the progress toward developing a human hookworm vaccine.

6 Nov 2012

November issue of WHO Bulletin available online

The November issue of the WHO Bulletin features an editorial examining the need for a new model for pharmaceutical research, a public health news roundup, a research article examining parental perceptions surrounding polio immunization activities in Karachi, Pakistan, and a paper on the use of evidence to support healthy public policy, among others.

3 Nov 2012

Afghanistan, U.N. agencies working to improve routine immunization as winter approaches

"Afghanistan is taking steps to improve its routine immunization coverage, after a drop in coverage led to a sharp increase in measles outbreaks last year, killing more than 300 children," IRIN reports.

2 Nov 2012

New data: 4 in 5 children received recommended doses of DTP vaccine during infancy in 2011

Four in five children (83%) worldwide received the recommended three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine during infancy in 2011, according to new data released in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and in the WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER).

2 Nov 2012

Polio eradication efforts helping to improve other health indicators

"The world is on the verge of a great success story: the eradication of polio," John Hewko, CEO and general secretary of Rotary International, and Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and special adviser to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, write in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

1 Nov 2012

Polio News and Research

Further Reading

Strengthen health systems to integrate polio vaccinations into routine childhood immunizations, Save the Children report says

Vaccine-derived polio outbreak shows gaps in immunization coverage in Pakistan

New method promises to boost stem cell production in laboratory

Showing progress in the 'decade of vaccines'

Nearly 63,000 people visit online catch-up immunization scheduling tool

Diptheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine: an interview with Dr. Rudi Eggers, World Health Organisation

Microneedle-based measles vaccine can immunize against measles

Global Polio Eradication Initiative IMB report optimistic but warns of possible polio resurgence in 2013

Global health programs need to address community needs

Washington Post examines polio eradication efforts in Pakistan

Number of polio cases worldwide reaches record low, but experts say challenges remain

Polio vaccination refusal in Nigeria continues to thwart eradication efforts

NPR, GlobalPost examine polio in Nigeria

RTS,S vaccine candidate can help protect African infants against malaria

WHO survey shows low knowledge level, acceptance of polio vaccine among Pashtun Pakistanis

Sabin initiates Part II of Na-GST-1 vaccine Phase I hookworm trial

November issue of WHO Bulletin available online

Afghanistan, U.N. agencies working to improve routine immunization as winter approaches

New data: 4 in 5 children received recommended doses of DTP vaccine during infancy in 2011

Polio eradication efforts helping to improve other health indicators

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