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Three Million Pakistani Children To Get Extra Polio Vaccine


Pakistan says it will give supplementary polio vaccines to some 3 million children across the country.

The extra doses were recommended by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), which monitors the progress of the world polio eradication campaign.

The most common type of vaccine, the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), is used in areas where the virus still exists, because the OPV cannot transfer the virus.

The second type, the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), strengthens individual immunity, but can can transfer the virus to others. It is normally used in areas where polio has already been eradicated.

Authorities say 3 million Pakistani children will receive IPVs as a supplement at the end of the month, while the routine OPV will continue to be given as scheduled.

Pakistan is one of only three countries where polio is endemic.

Taliban militants have banned immunizations and attacked polio vaccination teams, accusing them of acting as spies for the United States.

Based on reporting by dawn.com and indiatimes.com

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