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Invisible Protection: Why do children around the world need to be vaccinated against polio?
Polio, caused by the poliovirus, once caused a major public health crisis around the world. From 1988 to 2018, the number of reported cases dropped from an estimated 350,000 to 33, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), demonstrating the importance of vaccination and its success in eliminating the disease. Today’s question is, why do children in every country need to be vaccinated against polio to ensure a world with a future free from the threat of this disease?
From the 1950s to the 1960s, with the efforts of scientists such as Hilary Koprowski, Jonas Salk, and Albert Sabin, significant progress was made in the development of polio vaccines.
There are two main types of polio vaccine: inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), which is given as an injection, and live attenuated polio vaccine (OPV), which is taken orally. WHO recommends that all children should receive complete polio vaccination, not only for individual protection, but also for global public health.
According to the latest data, the success of the two vaccines has eliminated the threat of polio in most areas. The context for all this: Vaccines are safe and effective, and there is usually mild discomfort after vaccination, including redness, swelling or pain at the injection site. By comparison, unvaccinated people may be at risk of paralysis in up to 1 in 5,000 cases of poliovirus infection, while OPV has only about 3 cases of vaccine-related paralysis per million doses administered.
The emergence of vaccines not only protects individuals, but also achieves "herd immunity" in communities, effectively interrupting interpersonal transmission of the virus.
Vaccination is not without challenges, however. Cases surrounding vaccine-derived viruses have gradually increased in recent years, becoming a global public health concern. These viruses are derived from live attenuated vaccines and are capable of spreading in the population and may lead to the re-emergence of polio. This has led scientists to develop a new oral vaccine (nOPV2) designed to reduce this risk and improve vaccine safety.
In addition to technical challenges, social and cultural factors also affect the popularization and vaccination of vaccines. The emergence of anti-vaccination movements in some countries or regions has caused the resurgence of diseases that could have been eradicated. For example, polio cases re-emerged in Nigeria and other African countries in 2017 because of community skepticism about the vaccine.
Whether it is policy makers or parents, everyone should be continuously educated and reflect on the importance of vaccines.
Not limited to vaccine uses, it is also particularly important to review the history of polio vaccine development. Since the 1930s, the medical community's understanding of the virus has gradually increased, and scientists' efforts have ultimately led to the creation of several different types of vaccines. This history reminds us that through scientific endeavor we can overcome the challenges we face.
Although the process of vaccine production is complex, it is the key to ensuring a safe future. From the development of the polio vaccine to the implementation of global immunization programmes, every step has been taken to combat this potentially deadly virus. Research shows that children who are fully vaccinated will be able to effectively fight future infections, which protects not only the individual but society as a whole.
As global public health policies continue to advance, ensuring continued vaccination will be the most urgent need at the moment. Only in this way can we continue to maintain low infection rates and ultimately achieve global eradication of polio. But how long will it take to achieve victory in this global health war?
