Polio vaccine

[K. Weber]

On 5 Jan 1996, Bruce Phillips wrote:

> 
> 	My understanding is that a policy of vaccination with killed 
> vaccine first followed by attentuated live virus vaccine has been adopted
> as recommended policy.  The basis is indeed the trend, at least in the
> US, that most new poliomyelitis is the result of vaccination or virus
> from vaccinees being transmitted to other susceptibles.  It is important
> to keep in mind that the attentuated vaccine is extraordinarily safe-
> risk in healthy young children being less than 1:1,000,000 of disease.
> 
> 
	My understanding is that a cluster of 20 nurses developed CFIDS 
after polio vaccination.  The incidence rate among nurses is very high, 
and it's hard to know how many sporadic cases may be related.  I agree 
that children should be given polio vaccine, at least in high risk 
areas.  Any sluffing off would, of course, result in more polio.  CFIDS 
may prove to be almost as serious in 10% of the cases over the long 
term.  The problem with epidemics is you don't see very many long term 
cases for some years.  I developed the disease in 1960 and was mildly 
affected until 1980.  This end of the disease is dreadful.  Anyone with 
questions about CFIDS is welcome to direct them to me. The involvement of 
identified viruses is apparently opportunistic, but some have proven 
ubiquitous enough to serve as non-specific markers.


				kw