Polio immunization drive continues in Indonesia
Polio immunization drive continues in Indonesia
Indonesia health officials reported today on the first round of the Polio Immunization Sub Week (Sub PIN Polio) in the Provinces of Central Java, East Java and Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta, which started on Monday.
Director General of Disease Prevention and Control Maxi Rein Rondonuwu revealed that during the four days of implementing Sub PIN, as many as 6,528,963 children or 76.9 percent of the total 8,491,178 targets had received polio immunization.
"As of Thursday, the total number of targets who had been immunized against polio reached more than 6.5 million children or 76.9 percent. This figure has exceeded the expected target," said Director General Maxi in Jakarta.
The immunization drive will continue through January 21. A second round is slated to begin February 19.
On 20 and 27 December 2023, the Indonesian Ministry of Health notified WHO of two new confirmed cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), which prompted the vaccination campaign.
One case, from Klaten District, Central Java Province, is a 6-year-old female, with a history of recent travel to Madura Island (Sampang district, East Java Province). The second case, a one-year-old male, is from the neighbouring district of Pamekasan on Madura Island, East Java.
Indonesia reported four other cVDPV2 cases from October 2022 to February 2023 from Aceh province and West Java province.
Vaccine-derived poliovirus is a well-documented strain of poliovirus mutated from the strain originally contained in the oral polio vaccine (OPV). OPV contains a live, weakened form of poliovirus that replicates in the intestine for a limited period, thereby developing immunity by building up antibodies. On rare occasions, when replicating in the gastrointestinal tract, OPV strains can genetically change and may spread in communities that are not fully vaccinated against polio, especially in areas where there is poor hygiene, poor sanitation, or overcrowding. The lower the population's immunity, the longer vaccine-derived poliovirus survives and the more genetic changes it undergoes.
In very rare instances, the vaccine-derived virus can genetically change into a form that can cause paralysis as does the wild poliovirus – this is what is known as a vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV).
The detection of VDPV in at least two different sources and at least two months apart, that are genetically linked, showing evidence of transmission in the community, is classified as ‘circulating’ vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV). Similar to wild poliovirus, cVDPVs can be of three types (1,2 or 3), the current outbreak in Indonesia is due to cVDPV type 2 (cVDPV2).
