Nagaland: Health dept clarify it did not receive any batch of contaminated oral polio vaccines

DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 5 (MExN): In light of the recent scare regarding some batches of oral polio vaccine manufactured by Ghaziabad-based Biomed being contaminated with polio type 2 virus — a strain which has been eradicated worldwide, including in India, the Department of Health and Family Welfare, (DoHFW) Nagaland issued a clarification that the state did not receive any batch of the contaminated vaccine.

In a public information, Mission Director (NHM), Dr. Kevichusa Medikhru reiterated that Nagaland never received any of the contaminated vaccines and further audit of oral polio vaccine was conducted by DoHFW at all health facilities in Nagaland as a follow up measure to confirm that no contaminated vaccines are being used or lying unused anywhere.  

The Department has also urged the public not to be alarmed by such news reports about isolated incidents and to trust the health care system and get all children vaccinated on time to be free from vaccine preventable diseases like TB, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, rubella, hepatitis-B, diarrhoea, JE and pneumonia. As per press release issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, only "a few vials" of bivalent oral polio vaccine were found to contain traces of contaminants. However, as per communication received from the DC (Imm I/c), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, the contaminated vials which were found “not to be of standard quality” belonged to 3 different batches of oral polio vaccines manufactured by M/s Biomed Pvt. Ltd.  

The Drugs Controller General of India has also asked the company to stop "manufacture, sale or distribution till further orders” and filed an FIR in this case. As a preventive measure and to contain any further public health issues, an order was issued to all the States to immediately and completely stop use of the said batches of oral polio vaccine. The contamination of oral polio vaccine does not mean that the vaccine is unsafe for administration as per statement made by Dr. Jyoti Joshi from the Center of Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDEP).



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