Inactivated Polio Vaccine introduced

Sri Lanka has introduced an Injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) for four month old infants from yesterday,  Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Paba Palihawadana was quoted by local media. “It will be given as another injectable vaccine with the second vaccination dose of Pentavalent and OPV. No negative side affects had been reported following the vaccination with IPV. Two injections at a single visit for the child is better than vaccination on two separate days/visits,” she was quoted as saying. Dr. Palihawadana pointed out that no polio patients have been reported from Sri Lanka since 1993. South East Asia eradicated polio in March 2014. The World Health Organisation plans to eradicate polio from the world by 2018. Sri Lanka’s National Immunization Programme is one of the best in the world and the best in the Asian region with 100 per cent coverage. It offers 12 different vaccines to infants. No other Asian country has a100 per cent coverage in their immunization programme, Dr. Palihawadana was quoted as saying.