Poliomyelitis seroprevalence in high risk populations of India before the trivalent-bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine switch in 2016.

INTRODUCTION

This study assessed the seroprevalence against all three polioviruses among the last cohort of infants aged 6-11 months who received tOPV before the tOPV-bOPV switch and had an opportunity to receive a full dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine introduced in the routine immunization schedule.

METHODS

Serum was tested for neutralizing antibodies against polioviruses among infants residing in three different risk- category states for poliovirus transmission in India viz., Bihar historically high-risk state for polio, Madhya Pradesh a State with low routine immunization coverage and Chhattisgarh with lower acute flaccid paralysis surveillance indicators.

RESULTS

A total of 1113 serum samples were tested across the three states. The overall seroprevalence was 98.5% (97.7-99.2), 98.9% (98.3-99.5) and 94.4% (93.0-95.8) for poliovirus types 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The median antibody titers for corresponding serotypes were 575, 362 and 181. Infants who received five doses of tOPV showed respective seroprevalence rates of 98.7%, 98.7% and 93.7% against types 1, 2 and 3 polioviruses. There was no significant difference in seroprevalence across the group of IPV recipients. The median reciprocal titers across the groups of IPV recipient was significantly higher (p = 0.006) for poliovirus-3.

CONCLUSION

The seroprevalence rates observed in the study are historically the highest in the series of serosurveys that India has conducted to assess the population immunity against polioviruses. Poliovirus 2 seroprevalence was very high at the time of the tOPV-bOPV switch in India effected in April 2016.