Polio virus detection time gap cut by half

Scientists at polio laboratories in Mumbai, Islamabad and Atlanta working towards ensuring speedy detection of the virus have finally succeeded...

Scientists at polio laboratories in Mumbai, Islamabad and Atlanta working towards ensuring speedy detection of the virus have finally succeeded. From this month, 146 laboratories across the world will begin functioning with fast track detection of the polio virus.

It takes nearly a month for scientists to detect the wild polio virus from a stool sample. Now, the time taken to detect this virus has been reduced to just 14 days, said Director of the Enterovirus Research Centre ERC Mumbai, J M Deshpande. Reducing the time gap is an important strategy towards eradication of polio, he told The Indian Express.

Immunisation of every child below five years and a strong surveillance system that can rapidly detect poliomyelitis when it arises are important strategies for eradication of polio. Nationwide AFP acute flaccid paralysis surveillance is the gold standard for detecting cases of polio. The global polio laboratory network consists of 146 accredited laboratories in a three-tier structure, serving all WHO member states.

The laboratories at ERC in Mumbai, CDC in Atlanta and Reference Laboratory in Islamabad worked on a combination of procedures to reduce the time gap.

The usual procedure involves detection of the virus in the cell culture and then undertaking the serological method of virus typing.

But now Polymerase Chain Reaction PCR technique is used in such a combination and the wild polio virus is detected within a day after the cell culture method is completed. The total time taken is just 14 days.

Presently, there are over 180 cases of polio in the world8212;the Afro-Asia region has 105 out of which Nigeria has 90 cases. Eastern Mediterranean region has 18 cases out of which Pakistan has eight, Somalia has eight and Afghanistan has two.

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In the South East Asia region, India has 55 cases of polio while Myanmar has five. Last year, Nigeria had the highest number of polio cases 8212;1,124 8212; while India had 674.