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NEWS: Ganapati Mudur India considers new polio vaccine, kindling debate on strategy BMJ 2008; 337: a2809 [Full text]

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Re: Poliomyelitis outbreaks after polio vaccination-medicine in practice should not ignore the past published research

Viera Dr Scheibner PhD   (5 December 2008)

Re: Poliomyelitis outbreaks after polio vaccination-medicine in practice should not ignore the past published research 5 December 2008
Viera Dr Scheibner PhD, Scientist/Author Retired Blackheath NSW Australia Send response to journal: Re: Re: Poliomyelitis outbreaks after polio vaccination-medicine in practice should not ignore the past published research	Dear Editor, Based on the past experience, the recommendation to use the injectable, instead of the oral, polio vaccine in India is doomed to failure. The reason is in the nature of the beast: viruses, and including polio viruse, in vaccines are inactivated. This is done by a 14-day treatment with formaldehyde. This process is subject to the asymptotic factor, meaning that within about 40 hours most of the viruses are inactivated, but after that time there is a residue of viable viruses indefinitely (Gerber et al. 1961). Moreover, the inactivated viruses revert back to the original virulence after their introduction into the recipients of the relevant vaccine (Fenner 1962); the Cutter incident (Peterson et al. 1955) seems to be all but forgotten: the recipients of the injectable vaccine and some of their contacts developed paralysis. References Gerber P, Hottle GA, and Grubbs RE. 1961. Inactivation of vacuolating virus, SV40. Proc Soc Exp Biol & Med; 108: 205-209. Fenner F. 1962. The reactivation of animal viruses. BMJ; July 21: 135-142. Peterson LJ, Benson WW, and Gaeber FO. 1955. Vaccine-induced poliomyelitis in Idaho. JAMA; September 24: 241-244. Competing interests: None declared