Oral Polio Vaccine For Babies Favoured

Press, Volume C, Issue 29503, 3 May 1961, Page 16

Oral Polio Vaccine For Babies Favoured

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 2. A recommendation to change to oral polio vaccine for babies, while continuing Salk vaccine for expectant mothers, has been made to the Department of Health by the Board of Health's epidemiology advisory committee, after a meeting in Wellington. The committee, which examined recent Canadian, English, and other reviews of the status of polio-immun-ising agents, recommended immunisation of babies at the third month. This would be by three doses at monthly intervals of trivalent oral vaccine. Dr. H. B. Turbott, the Director-General of Health, and chairman of the committee, said the recommendation of the World Health Organisation was that oral vaccine was safe for children. The committee also decided that a stock of oral vaccine should be established in New Zealand, sufficient to immunise susceptible age groups in as short a time as possible

in the face of epidemic poliomyelitis. Known as Sabintype oral vaccine, it will be obtained from Canada. The vaccination of babies would be a pilot programme, to be checked by laboratory tests.

Dr. Turbott said his original hope was to rid his department of the formidable burden of Salk immunisation. During the Salk immunisation programme, the Health Department had been disrupted for nearly 18 months. He had hoped oral vaccine would obviate this;

Saying that he had been watching the development of the new vaccine, Dr. Turbott said that, in the event of a polio epidemic in any part of the country, all within that area could be offered vaccination within a short period. Sufficient of the new type would have to be stored

to last six months, in case of an outbreak.

“We could, as a department, handle a babies’ programme but we could not handle anything further," he said. “In the event of a polio outbreak, we would hope to block it with the new oral vaccine through nurses and lay staff. Doctors would not be needed. Figures given at the committee's meeting showed the magnitude of the work involved for the Department of Health in giving injections since the Salk immunisation programme started in 1956. In the 9 to 16 years group. 750,000 have received first injections, 730.000, second injections, and 680.000, third injections. Of all others. 180,000 have had first injections, 169.000, second injections, and 146.000 third injections. This group includes persons aged 16 to 21, expectant mothers, and groups of special risk, such as medical and nursing staffs of hospitals. All but a small proportion of these injections would have been given by departmental staff.