The Ministry of Health has decided to phase out vaccinations using bOPV components against polio, which are administered orally as part of routine vaccinations, due to concerns about the emergence of resistant polio strains.
This decision was based on the fact that the polio strain 3 that the oral vaccine protects against is mutating around the world, and that the oral component could lead to the development of resistant strains of polio strain 1 or 3.
It was also found that the oral vaccine components did not protect against the VDPV2 strain, which is now common around the world.
The decision to discontinue oral vaccines follows World Health Organization policy.
The WHO is expected to issue a recommendation soon to halt oral vaccinations in Europe due to the risk of exposing unvaccinated people to the more aggressive types 1 and 3 vaccine strains. .
At the same time, production lines for parts in Western countries will be closed. Polio vaccine by injection. (Credit: Shutterstock)
new guidelines
In new guidelines, the Ministry of Health has ordered that from October 2024, one dose of the bOPV vaccine will be limited to no more than six months.
For infants and young children aged 6 months to 18 months who have not yet been vaccinated, one vaccination can be completed.
A decision on the suspension of vaccine administration in Israel is expected to be finalized in the first half of 2025. At the same time, the Ministry of Health called for improved compliance with the inactivated polio IPV vaccine.
In recent months, Israel has seen several cases of polio among unvaccinated people, raising new concerns about an outbreak of a disease that was thought to be almost completely extinct.
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Initial outbreaks occurred primarily in areas where vaccination rates were lower than usual, particularly among ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) populations, and among children in communities where there was a lack of awareness of the importance of vaccination. Observed.
In this case, some infected children did not show serious symptoms, but in some cases paralysis, one of the typical symptoms of the disease, was observed.
The Ministry of Health has responded to these outbreaks with an urgent appeal to parents to vaccinate their children, especially in areas where cases have been recorded.
Additionally, targeted vaccination campaigns were held in cities such as Jerusalem and Bnei Brak in collaboration with local authorities and community organizations to raise awareness and ensure that all children were vaccinated. .
In Israel, the polio vaccine is administered by milk drop as part of the national immunization program.
The first dose of the vaccine is given at 2 months of age, followed by the second dose at 4 months of age. The vaccine is continued with a third dose after six months and a fourth dose after one year. At 6 years of age, an additional booster dose is given.
The vaccine is administered in two formats. One is an inactivated vaccine (IPV), which is injected as part of a five-part vaccine, and the other is an attenuated vaccine (OPV). The attenuated vaccine (OPV) will be discontinued and inoculation will be discontinued in 2024, as mentioned above. Drop by drop.
Polio is a viral disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus is primarily transmitted from person to person through contact with infected feces or through contaminated food or water.
After infection, the virus can multiply in the intestines and invade the central nervous system. Early symptoms of the disease include fever, fatigue, headache, sore throat, and vomiting.
Most often, the disease manifests as a mild flu-like syndrome, but in more severe cases, the virus can damage the spinal cord and cause paralysis, especially in the lower extremities.
Most people infected with the virus do not develop serious symptoms, but about 1% of cases can cause permanent paralysis and even death.
Symptoms of paralysis appear quickly and damage to the nervous system can lead to irreversible neurological changes.
