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I assume you are suggesting that a non-polio virus is originating, or mutating, from the polio virus in the vaccine, correct? If so how is that possible? Or that there is contamination in the vaccines? This seems far fetched.
What exactly do you suspect?
All I hear her suggesting is there is some correlation that she makes no attempt to explain. If, in fact, the one virus had mutated, epidemiologists would have identified it by now. Or, at the very least suspected it and be looking. If it had occurred, it would be in the news everywhere.
All I hear her suggesting is there is some correlation that she makes no attempt to explain. If, in fact, the one virus had mutated, epidemiologists would have identified it by now. Or, at the very least suspected it and be looking. If it had occurred, it would be in the news everywhere.
Can one kind of virus mutate into another? Obviously I'm not strong in genetics, but my gut is telling me no. A bug will have its specific genome and mutate for whatever adaptation, but into a different bug all together? OTOH, they all fall under enterovirus. I don't know.
Can one kind of virus mutate into another? Obviously I'm not strong in genetics, but my gut is telling me no. A bug will have its specific genome and mutate for whatever adaptation, but into a different bug all together? OTOH, they all fall under enterovirus. I don't know.
I am certainly not an expert. This snippet does a much better job of explaining things. Obviously much better then I can do it.
Quote:
The international incidence of non-polio AFP is said to be 1 to 2/100,000 in the populations under 15 (32, 33). The benchmark of good surveillance is the ability to detect one case of AFP per 100,000 children even in the absence of polio (34). In 2011, an additional 47,500 children were newly paralysed in the year, over and above the standard 2/100,000 non-polio AFP that is generally accepted as the norm. (32, 33). It is sad that, even after meticulous surveillance, this large excess in the incidence of paralysis was not investigated as a possible signal, nor was any effort made to try and study the mechanism for this spurt in non-polio AFP. These findings point to the need for a critical appraisal to find the factors contributing to the increase in non-polio AFP with increase in OPV doses - perhaps looking at the influence of strain shifts of entero-pathogens induced by the vaccine given practically once every month.
The truth is that they don't know what exactly the cause is but they do know that a correlation exists. I agree with them when they say that this was not investigated. The correlation points to a relationship between the OPV as it is used in India and the rise in NPAFP. They don't know what exactly the cause is but it is clear that the two seem to be related.
It's a really good read. I highly recommend reading all of it as it highlights multiple issues.
Several years ago I was in the ER, and the man next to me couldn't speak English so the staff used a Spanish interpreter through a speaker. Turned out that the man had tuberculosis and I felt the panic in the physician's voice. I made my husband shut the curtain in a swift. I do not know if the man was documented or not, but he obviously brought over a threatening illness with him, and I just hoped he didn't have kids.
So, an unvaccinated (or "undervaccinated") child grows up to be an unvaccinated adult, and becomes threat because s/he can transport disease, especially considering our ever expanding mobility.
BTW there is a law that anyone applying for green card in the US should submit proof of immunization, plus blood tests are taken to check how strong the vaccination is. Often, a booster shot is required. Without this medical record it is impossible to become green card holder and later a citizen. I agree with this practice and I am sure most of you will, too. You sure dont want any outsiders bring horrible diseases to your country. But why turn our own children into disease transmitters within the country we are trying to protect?
Every doctor and nurse I know vaccinates their child (obviously, I don't know ALL doctors or nurses un the US)
BTW there is a law that anyone applying for green card in the US should submit proof of immunization, plus blood tests are taken to check how strong the vaccination is. Often, a booster shot is required. Without this medical record it is impossible to become green card holder and later a citizen.
Just a minor correction, for accuracy, as I went through this process myself last year - potential GC holders need to provide proof of their immune status, either via vaccination records OR a blood titer. There is no obligation to check for the 'strength' of the immunity: vaccinated as per the required dose schedule is considered fully immune; blood test is also a binary 'immune/ not immune' result (we had a blood test for TB, as the usual skin prick test will show positive after the TB vacs we had as children in the UK in the 1980s).
Th exception is chicken pox/ varicella, for which the Civil Surgeon can accept an oral history, so verbally reporting that yes, you had this as a child, is fine. (The UK has no varicella vaccine in the childhood schedule; consequently almost everyone has had chicken pox well before adulthood - it would be much more implausible to say you didn't have it!)
Just a minor correction, for accuracy, as I went through this process myself last year - potential GC holders need to provide proof of their immune status, either via vaccination records OR a blood titer. There is no obligation to check for the 'strength' of the immunity: vaccinated as per the required dose schedule is considered fully immune; blood test is also a binary 'immune/ not immune' result (we had a blood test for TB, as the usual skin prick test will show positive after the TB vacs we had as children in the UK in the 1980s).
Th exception is chicken pox/ varicella, for which the Civil Surgeon can accept an oral history, so verbally reporting that yes, you had this as a child, is fine. (The UK has no varicella vaccine in the childhood schedule; consequently almost everyone has had chicken pox well before adulthood - it would be much more implausible to say you didn't have it!)
Point well taken - and I should have expressed myself better. I went through the process a while ago. I remember both me and husband needing booster shots (for diff vaccines though), because USA requirements were different than what was on our record. One was tetanus shot and another perhaps varicella?
But my point stays the same: US citizens would be appalled if non-immunized immigrants wanted to reside in their country.
ANd my second point is (that I also should have expressed better) - what if the unvaccinated child, once grown up, would decide - or be required to - travel extensively, then all the immunization shots will be needed, otherwise such adult would be at a much greater risk of contracting a disease as well as spreading it around...
Point well taken - and I should have expressed myself better. I went through the process a while ago. I remember both me and husband needing booster shots (for diff vaccines though), because USA requirements were different than what was on our record. One was tetanus shot and another perhaps varicella?
But my point stays the same: US citizens would be appalled if non-immunized immigrants wanted to reside in their country.
Tetanus always seems to be one of those ones that no one, upon cutting themselves, can recall when they last had it, so end up getting one anyway 'just for luck'!
Neither hubby or I had the slightest chance of producing childhood vaccination records (our mums had vague recollections of 'perhaps a little card I was given...'), so just had the MMR and TDap again. Interestingly, our doctor said it's not a bad idea anyway to have MMR again once in your 30s or later, as there's some evidence of it wearing off..? (I am not science-y!)
I entirely agree with you that US citizens would be appalled about non-vaccinated immigrants, but they'll have to put up with being appalled in some cases, as US Immigration allows a religious or moral waiver
Frankly, I think that people should trust the medical science when it comes to vaccinations, rather than trusting some celebrities who often appear to be uneducated on this topic.
As far as I know, the medical science, at least generally, supports the case in favor of vaccinations.
I am certainly not an expert. This snippet does a much better job of explaining things. Obviously much better then I can do it.
The truth is that they don't know what exactly the cause is but they do know that a correlation exists. I agree with them when they say that this was not investigated. The correlation points to a relationship between the OPV as it is used in India and the rise in NPAFP. They don't know what exactly the cause is but it is clear that the two seem to be related.
It's a really good read. I highly recommend reading all of it as it highlights multiple issues.
It doesn't really explain it, though. At least it doesn't explain any science that I can see. I can understand strains of poliovirus mutating. Sort of like the influenza viruses, right? I do not understand how a bug is polio and then not polio. I'm imagining the flu virus becoming some other type of virus like a cold virus or HIV. It doesn't work that way to the best of my knowledge, so I don't know if strain shift applies here. This is what I need explained to me.
As far as being related goes, well, a classic correlation example is that ice cream sales positively correlate with homicide rates. Ice cream sales go up then homicide rates go up. It doesn't mean ice cream causes homicide. It's just a coincidence and we know the hot temps outside are a likely culprit for both.
Anyhow, we need either a geneticist or an ID person here to break this down.
I am certainly not an expert. This snippet does a much better job of explaining things. Obviously much better then I can do it.
The truth is that they don't know what exactly the cause is but they do know that a correlation exists. I agree with them when they say that this was not investigated. The correlation points to a relationship between the OPV as it is used in India and the rise in NPAFP. They don't know what exactly the cause is but it is clear that the two seem to be related.
It's a really good read. I highly recommend reading all of it as it highlights multiple issues.
The author of that article is that polio cannot be eradicated because polio virus can be made in a laboratory. That is a pretty weak argument for continuing to vaccinate everyone in the world against polio after no more cases are identified anywhere.
The same concern was expressed about smallpox, because infectious smallpox virus was kept in laboratories after vaccination for smallpox was suspended worldwide. The concern was that smallpox could be used as a weapon. So far, that has not been a problem and we still do not need to vaccinate against smallpox.
The article you have cited is an opinion piece. It does not even attempt to justify the conclusions of the author and presents no scientific evidence to support the thesis that polio immunization programs increase the incidence of non-polio AFP. A large part of it is a rant about how expensive the polio eradication effort has been. His attitude toward eradication is not shared by other doctors in India:
"Conclusion: PHC physicians and pediatricians support and have confidence in the success of polio eradication efforts. These findings will be useful for policy-makers involved in the planning of eradication strategies. Providers and parents need to maintain confidence in polio vaccination if polio is to be eradicated."
"'The increased non-polio AFP rate is due to increased reporting of AFP cases due to deliberate efforts of the programme to increase the sensitivity of the surveillance system since 2004,' according to the WHO Country Office for India. In a written response provided to this correspondent, the health body said these efforts were more intense and closely monitored in the traditionally polio-endemic states of Bihar and U.P., resulting in even higher rates of reporting of AFP cases in those States."
Steps were taken to improve reporting.
"Since then, the number of AFP cases that were reported and investigated continued to increase, it noted. This was not due to an increase in the incidence of a specific disease that might cause these symptoms. Rather, it was the direct result of surveillance activities for AFP cases being strengthened."
The program in India included diagnoses not included in the category of AFP in other countries. That would also increase the number of cases reported as AFP.
The author of this piece, N. Gopal Raj, responds to the author of your article by noting that the increased number of doses of polio vaccine was due to the fact that the prevalence of diarrheal illnesses and gut infections that made the oral vaccine less effective.
Contrary to what the author in your link says, Raj notes
"The non-polio AFP rate was not correlated with the number of oral vaccine doses that were administered, countered the WHO Country Office in its response. The largest number of oral vaccine doses given in India was in 2004, which had the lowest non-polio AFP rate in the last eight years. Moreover, although the number of oral vaccine doses given in the country had shown a continuous decline since 2007, the non-polio AFP rate had increased during the same period. In Bihar and U.P. too, there were similar trends of reduced oral vaccine doses and rising AFP rates during 2007-2011.
'The ICMR [Indian Council of Medical Research] is leading the investigations into non-polio causes of AFP,' the WHO Country Office stated."
Therefore, not only is the increased number of cases of AFP due to changes in the definition of cases and intense monitoring, the claim that there is a direct correlation between non-polio AFP incidence and the number of doses of polio vaccine is apparently false.
This intense concern about non-polio AFP in India is just a smoke screen for those who spurn vaccination.
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