Science: The polio eradication campaign is faltering. Can a new vaccine help it get back on track?
“The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is about to roll out a brand-new vaccine — one that its leaders desperately hope will turn the flagging effort around. If it works as expected, the vaccine just might overcome one of the biggest obstacles to polio eradication: out-of-control outbreaks caused by the polio vaccine itself. If not, GPEI will be back to dousing each outbreak with a vaccine that risks starting another, as eradication slips further from sight. … The first drops could be delivered in several countries by the end of the year…” (Roberts, 11/10).