Researchers say Polio Vaccine in Powder Form at Room Temperature stable in Hot Regions

Polio myelitis is a viral, crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease.  Polio vaccine in liquid form has helped many countries in the globe to eradicate polio, which otherwise would have resulted in paralysis. The virus affects the brain, spinal cord and causes paralysis, the victims cannot move their body parts.

Liquid polio or not stable at hot temperatures.  Powdered polio vaccine which can be stored in room temperature brings new hope to Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afganistan.  They can be stored up to 40C for four weeks without loss of its potency and then dissolved for the use. The latest method of freeze-drying IPV maintains its strength and potency even in hot conditions, according to the researchers.

Countries such as USA and UK, polio became polio-free countries, but still a major threat in some countries like Nigeria and Pakistan, where paralysis and death rate is high because of Polio infection.

Oral vaccines use a weakened live virus that causes paralysis in some cases.  So it becomes a necessity for the researchers to discover another type of vaccine called Inactivated Polio Virus Vaccine (IPV), which involved an injection with dead strains of the virus. This became a barrier in some countries because of the sensitivity of IPV to high temperatures or very low temperatures.

Woo-Jin Shin, a Virologist from the Southern University of California discovered freeze-dried inactivated polio vaccine with the addition of some key ingredients that made it more stable. The study is published in the Journal mBio, Nov 27 issue.

Pakistan had launched another vaccination against polio, a three-day nationwide campaign had been started on Monday and aimed to vaccinate millions of children under 5 years of age.

According to the World Health Organization, a double vaccine could help to fight polio better in some of the world�s remote regions. The latest research suggests giving a vaccine shot to children, who had already given oral vaccine would boost their immunity to a great extent.