Which oral vaccine contributed to global polio control?

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Multiple Choice

Which oral vaccine contributed to global polio control?

Reducing transmission in communities hinges on a vaccine that induces strong mucosal immunity in the gut and is easy to deploy to large populations. The oral polio vaccine is a live, attenuated vaccine given by mouth, which makes it inexpensive and simple to use in mass campaigns. It creates robust intestinal immunity, blocking poliovirus replication in the gut and greatly reducing person-to-person spread. Its practical advantages—oral administration, low cost, and rapid community-wide impact—have made it central to global polio control efforts, driving dramatic declines in cases. The injected inactivated polio vaccine provides solid protection against paralysis but doesn’t block gut infection as effectively, so it doesn’t curb transmission as efficiently in mass vaccination settings. The measles and hepatitis B vaccines are for different diseases, so they don’t directly contribute to polio control.

Reducing transmission in communities hinges on a vaccine that induces strong mucosal immunity in the gut and is easy to deploy to large populations. The oral polio vaccine is a live, attenuated vaccine given by mouth, which makes it inexpensive and simple to use in mass campaigns. It creates robust intestinal immunity, blocking poliovirus replication in the gut and greatly reducing person-to-person spread. Its practical advantages—oral administration, low cost, and rapid community-wide impact—have made it central to global polio control efforts, driving dramatic declines in cases.

The injected inactivated polio vaccine provides solid protection against paralysis but doesn’t block gut infection as effectively, so it doesn’t curb transmission as efficiently in mass vaccination settings. The measles and hepatitis B vaccines are for different diseases, so they don’t directly contribute to polio control.

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