Notwithstanding the sharp differences of opinion in the review meeting of the India Expert Advisory Group (IEAG) on polio eradication, the country is set to use monovalent oral polio vaccine (mOPV) instead of so far used trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) in the next rounds in the severely affected areas.

The two-day review meeting of the IEAG, held here on December 11 and 12, also prepared strategies for the next year for aggressively chasing away polio from badly affected areas of UP and Bihar. Seeing the next six months as crucial period, they also suggested monthly rounds of polio vaccination.

However, the meeting of apex body headed by Dr Jacob John, saw sharp differences in views, especially on reverting to the old type of vaccination. Some of the members even expressed apprehensions on the effect of the drives launched from 1988. It may be noted that the mOPV was largely used in 1950s and 1960s, but in 1963, tOPV was introduced for logistical simplicity. The experts claimed that the latter could be administered at the same time for all three types of poliovirus.

However, the experts changed their views again in 2004 and decided to bring back mOPV and asked supplier companies to do clinical trials. It was used in nine districts of UP first time after 1963, and the officials claimed that it proved much more effective. However, the authorities have decided to use also tOPV in the nation-wide campaign elsewhere while restricting the mOPV to UP and Bihar, thus giving ample indication to the conflicting stands even among the experts associated with the drive, no matter how vociferous was the outside hue and cry.

Govt had earmarked $ 210 million for the polio drive activities for 2006-07 and the Union health ministry affirmed that polio would be eradicated within next four years. Experts attended the meeting from the Indian Centre for Medical Research, professional groups, WHO, NGOs, US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and those representing associations of doctors. It reviewed epidemiological data from the outbreak, which indicated that over 80 per cent of children affected this year were under the three-year age-mark, Union secretary of health and family welfare Naresh Dayal said.

As on December 9, as many as 583 cases were reported this year itself compared against 66 of the previous year. UP topped the list with 481 cases, followed by Bihar with 48. India, which accounted for one third of world polio cases, reported 1600 cases in 2002, against 1934 in 1988 when the world drive was launched with a 5 billion global budget. Birth dosages, stepping up of routine immunization, increase in honorarium from 25 to 75 per day to the immunization workers and introduction of injectable vaccine are some of the other steps finalized for the next year. After the worldwide campaign was launched in 1988 in 200 countries, all but four - India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan - have eradicated polio. And the experts outside the country hope that the mOPV would be more effective to eliminate the disease forever.