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2 April, 2015 - April 12th 2015 marks the 60th anniversary of the publication of Jonas Salk's landmark polio vaccine trial results, which confirmed that the first vaccine against polio was safe and effective. A new review, which was published online ahead of print in Future Microbiology, provides a comprehensive overview of current polio vaccines, and highlights new and future research initiatives, such as new vaccine formulations, that could help ensure that polio is eradicated and eradication is maintained.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects children under 5 years of age, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. Among those paralyzed, 5 to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Although there is no cure, polio can be prevented through vaccination. Currently, only Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan are considered endemic for polio.
"Polio, a crippling disease, is on the verge of global eradication. Over past several decades, a series of landmark scientific innovations towards vaccine development and programmatic interventions directed at delivery of those vaccines to the remotest corners of the world have made the battle to eradicate polio one of the most visible, synchronized and impactful global public health initiatives ever," said Ananda Bandyopadhyay, from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and corresponding author of the paper.
If enough people in a community are immunized, the virus will be deprived of susceptible hosts and will die out. Live attenuated oral polio vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine are currently being used to achieve eradication of wild polio virus.
Ananda Bandyopadhyay continued, explaining the timeliness of the review: "This article reviews the existing clinical evidence base on polio vaccines, evaluates the best use of currently available polio vaccines in the context of the polio endgame and summarizes on-going and future research endeavors that may further strengthen the possibilities of achieving and sustaining eradication in the near future."
"We have seen global polio case numbers decrease by more than 99%; however, significant effort is required to rid the world of the last reservoirs of polio. This timely and interesting review highlights new vaccine technologies that will help secure eradication of poliovirus for generations to come," said Natasha Leeson, Commissioning Editor of Future Microbiology.
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The article is available at: http://www.futuremedicine.com/toc/fmb/0/0
About Future Microbiology
The journal publishes original research, reviews and opinion pieces that cover all aspects of microbiological sciences, including virology, bacteriology, parasitology and mycology. Essential information is delivered in concise, at-a-glance article formats. Key advances in the field are reported and analyzed by international experts, providing an authoritative but accessible forum for this increasingly important and vast area of research.
Future Microbiology has an impact factor of 3.819, which ranks it 27th by impact factor out of 119 journals in the Microbiology category. The journal is indexed by Biobase, BIOSIS Previews, BIOSIS Reviews Reports and Meetings, Biotechnology Citation Index®, CAB abstracts, Chemical Abstracts, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition®, MEDLINE/Index Medicus, Science Citation Index Expanded™ (SciSearch®) and Scopus.
To find out more about Future Microbiology, please visit our website: http://www.futuremedicine.com/loi/fmb
About Future Science Group
Founded in 2001, Future Science Group (FSG) is a progressive publisher focused on breakthrough medical, biotechnological and scientific research. FSG's portfolio includes two imprints, Future Science and Future Medicine. Both publish eBooks and journals. In addition to this core publishing business FSG develops specialist eCommunities. Key titles and sites include Bioanalysis Zone, Epigenomics, Nanomedicine and the award-winning Regenerative Medicine.
The aim of FSG is to service the advancement of clinical practice and drug research by enhancing the efficiency of communications among clinicians, researchers and decision-makers, and by providing innovative solutions to their information needs. This is achieved through a customer-centric approach, use of new technologies, products that deliver value-for-money and uncompromisingly high standards. http://www.future-science-group.com
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Future Microbiology