Poliovirus - GS questions based on daily current affairs

1)   Which of the following are disadvantages of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)?

1) It induces very low levels of immunity in the intestine
2) It is costlier than oral vaccine
3) Administration requires trained health workers

a. 1, 3
b. 1, 2
c. 2, 3
d. All of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

  • Advantages –
    • 1. As IPV is not a 'live' vaccine, it carries no risk of vaccine-associated polio paralysis.
    2. IPV triggers an excellent protective immune response in most people.
  • Disadvantages –
    • 1. IPV induces very low levels of immunity in the intestine. As a result, when a person immunized with IPV is infected with wild poliovirus, the virus can still multiply inside the intestines and be shed in the faeces, risking continued circulation.
    2. IPV is over five times more expensive than oral polio vaccine.
    3. Administering the vaccine requires trained health workers and sterile injection equipment and procedures.
  • Safety - IPV is one of the safest vaccines in use. No serious systemic adverse reactions have been shown to follow vaccination.
  • Efficacy - IPV is highly effective in preventing paralytic disease caused by all three types of poliovirus.
2)   How many types of Polio virus are there?

a. 5
b. 1
c. 2
d. 3
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 3

Explanation:

  • Polio is caused by a human enterovirus called the poliovirus. Wild polioviruses are those that occur naturally.
  • The poliovirus consists of an RNA genome enclosed in a protein shell called a capsid. There are three serotypes of wild poliovirus – type 1, type 2, and type 3 – each with a slightly different capsid protein.
  • Type 2 poliovirus has been eliminated in the wild – the last wild type 2 poliovirus was detected in India in 1999.
  • In this final stage of polio eradication, only type 1 and type 3 wild poliovirus continue to circulate in endemic areas. Both are highly infectious and both cause paralytic polio. Type 1 is the most pervasive strain of poliovirus and type 3 is at very low levels.

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