Oral Polio Vaccine Campaigns May Reduce the Risk of Death from Respiratory Infections

Oral polio vaccine (OPV) campaigns, but not other campaigns, have been associated with major reductions in child mortality. Studies have shown that OPV reduces the risk of respiratory infections. We analysed the causes of death at 0–2 years of age in Chakaria, a health and demographic surveillance Systems in Bangladesh, in the period 2012–2019 where 13 national campaigns with combinations of OPV (n = 4), vitamin A supplementation (n = 9), measles vaccine (MV) (n = 2), and albendazole (n = 2) were implemented. OPV-only campaigns reduced overall mortality by 30% (95% confidence interval: −10–56%). Deaths from respiratory infections were reduced by 62% (20–82%, p = 0.01) in the post-neonatal period (1–35 months), whereas there was as slight increase of 19% (−37–127%, p = 0.54) for deaths from other causes. There was no benefit of other types of campaigns. Hence, the hypothesis that OPV may have beneficial non-specific effects, protecting particularly against respiratory infections, was confirmed.

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The non-specific effects of vaccines and other childhood interventions: the contribution of INDEPTH Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems

International Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/ije/dyu101 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 43 (3) ◽

pp. 645-653 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

O. Sankoh ◽

P. Welaga ◽

C. Debpuur ◽

C. Zandoh ◽

S. Gyaase ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surveillance Systems ◽

Specific Effects ◽

Demographic Surveillance Systems

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Stopping Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) after Defeating Poliomyelitis: A Pyrrhic Victory? Systematic Review of the Non-Specific Effects of OPV

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3781637 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Peter Aaby ◽

Sebastian Nielsen ◽

Ane Fisker ◽

Line M. Pedersen ◽

Paul Welaga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Oral Polio Vaccine ◽

Polio Vaccine ◽

Specific Effects ◽

Pyrrhic Victory

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Oral Polio Vaccination and Hospital Admissions With Non-Polio Infections in Denmark: Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofv204 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Signe Sørup ◽

Lone G. Stensballe ◽

Tyra G. Krause ◽

Peter Aaby ◽

Christine S. Benn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Oral Polio Vaccine ◽

Haemophilus Influenzae Type ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Polio Vaccine ◽

Polio Vaccination

Abstract Background. Live vaccines may have nonspecific beneficial effects on morbidity and mortality. This study examines whether children who had the live-attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV) as the most recent vaccine had a different rate of admissions for infectious diseases than children with inactivated diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-polio-Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (DTaP-IPV-Hib) or live measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) as their most recent vaccine. Methods. A nationwide, register-based, retrospective cohort study of 137 403 Danish children born 1997–1999, who had received 3 doses of DTaP-IPV-Hib, were observed from 24 months (first OPV dose) to 36 months of age. Results. Oral polio vaccine was associated with a lower rate of admissions with any type of non-polio infection compared with DTaP-IPV-Hib as most recent vaccine (adjusted incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], .77–.95). The association was separately significant for admissions with lower respiratory infections (adjusted IRR, 0.73; 95% CI, .61–.87). The admission rates did not differ for OPV versus MMR. Conclusions. Like MMR, OPV was associated with fewer admissions for lower respiratory infections than having DTaP-IPV-Hib as the most recent vaccination. Because OPV is now being phased-out globally, further studies of the potential beneficial nonspecific effects of OPV are warranted.

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