The World Health Organization announced on Friday that it had granted pre-approval for a new oral vaccine intended to combat type 2 polio, and stressed that this step will contribute strongly to supporting global efforts to eliminate this disease.
The organization stated in a statement that pre-approval means that the vaccine meets all international standards related to quality and safety, which allows United Nations agencies, led by UNICEF, to purchase and distribute it within immunization campaigns.
The organization indicated that the new vaccine was designed to be less susceptible to mutation compared to the oral vaccines that preceded it, which limits the possibility of it causing new waves of the disease, while at the same time emphasizing its effectiveness in stopping transmission of infection.
Challenges facing disease control
This announcement follows the commitment of world leaders in December to allocate approximately $1.9 billion to support efforts to eradicate polio, with the aim of protecting 370 million children annually, despite recent reductions in the budgets allocated to this file.
The United States’ withdrawal from the United Nations affected cooperation with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the freezing of grants allocated to UNICEF in this field.
