WHO Panel Endorses Use Of Polio Vaccine Using 2 Instead Of 3 Strains; No Case Of Type 2 Polio Detected Since 1999
New York Times: WHO Panel Backs Polio Vaccine With Just 2 Strains
“Scientists convened by the World Health Organization recommended Friday that an oral polio vaccine containing only two vaccine strains instead of the usual three be rolled out next April, as planned…” (McNeil, 10/23).
Reuters: WHO experts signal victory over one of three polio strains
“…[T]ype 2 [poliovirus] has not been detected since 1999 and use of the vaccine itself can occasionally, inadvertently, aid the spread of the disease in countries with poor vaccine coverage. ‘This week a momentous decision was made. And the decision was to go ahead and make the switch because we think we can eradicate polio. This is a huge step towards that,’ the chairman of the group, Jon Abramson, said on Friday…” (Miles, 10/23).