Monovalent Oral Poliovirus Vaccines — A Good Tool but Not a Total Solution

Abstract

The polio eradication campaign initiated in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO) led to an impressive decline in cases of paralytic poliomyelitis around the world. The eradication strategy involved highly organized mass immunization campaigns, relying solely on the trivalent oral polio vaccine developed by Albert Sabin and licensed in the United States in 1963. Monovalent versions of oral polio vaccine had been licensed earlier but were abandoned in favor of the trivalent combination oral polio vaccine to simplify immunization schedules. Efficacy was not considered to be a significant issue, and differences between monovalent and trivalent vaccines were never formally . . .