Wild and vaccine-derived poliovirus circulation, and implications for polio eradication

Abstract

Polio cases due to wild virus are reported by only three countries in the world. Poliovirus type 2 has been globally eradicated and the last detection of poliovirus type 3 dates to November 2012. Poliovirus type 1 remains the only circulating wild strain; between January and September 2016 it caused 26 cases (nine in Afghanistan, 14 in Pakistan, three in Nigeria). The use of oral polio vaccine (OPV) has been the key to success in the eradication effort. However, paradoxically, moving towards global polio eradication, the burden caused by vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) becomes increasingly important. In this paper circulation of both wild virus and VDPVs is reviewed and implications for the polio eradication endgame are discussed. Between April and May 2016 OPV2 cessation has been implemented globally, in a coordinated switch from trivalent OPV to bivalent OPV. In order to decrease the risk for cVDPV2 re-emergence inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has been introduced in the routine vaccine schedule of all countries. The likelihood of re-emergence of cVDPVs should markedly decrease with time after OPV cessation, but silent circulation of polioviruses cannot be ruled out even a long time after cessation. For this reason, immunity levels against polioviruses should be kept as high as possible in the population by the use of IPV, and both clinical and environmental surveillance should be maintained at a high level.

Keywords: Disease eradication; poliomyelitis; poliovirus; poliovirus vaccines.

Fig. 1.

Number of cVDPV cases globally reported to WHO during the period 2000–2016. (Source: WHO HQ, data as of 21 September 2016.)

Fig. 2.

cVDPV outbreaks, globally reported to WHO, country distribution, 2000–2016. (Source: WHO HQ, data as of 21 September 2016.)

Fig. 3.

Number of cases of wild poliovirus types 1 and 3 and cVDPV2 globally reported to WHO during the period 2001–2015. (Source: WHO HQ, data as of 21 September 2016.)

Fig. 4.

Proportion of cases of wild poliovirus types 1 and 3 and cVDPV2 globally reported to WHO during the period 2001–2015. (Source: WHO HQ, data as of 21 September 2016.)