5 ms·

Well, it's complicated. As I understand, one of the polio vaccines - the oral one - has an unusual quirk. The live virus used in it can reproduce and spread in

Well, it's complicated. As I understand, one of the polio vaccines - the oral one - has an unusual quirk. The live virus used in it can reproduce and spread in low-vaccination communities. While the vaccine version of it will not cause paralysis, it can and occasionally does mutate back into a pathogenic variant. So we're sort of maintaining a reservoir of polio, really.

cubefox 2mo ago
Source?
- ksenzee 2mo ago
  Not OP, but this is fairly common knowledge. Here's a reliable source - search the page for VAPP: https://www.chop.edu/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-details/polio-vaccine https://www.chop.edu/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-detail...
  - cubefox 2mo ago
    Thanks.
bawolff 2mo ago
Hopefully though we will slowly wean off the live vaccine. For the most part the live vaccine is only used in developing countries. There are a bunch of factors that make that difficult but i think eventually we will get there.