The World Health Organization is evaluating a new delivery method for the polio vaccine in hopes of eradicating the disease in more parts of the world. Experts say that the Nanopatch is an innovative new way that makes the administration of the vaccine much easier. With this method, the vaccine does not have to be administered specifically by a medical practitioner and has the potential of reaching even the most remote areas where polio is still a problem. The Nanopatch also does not require cold storage.
At the moment, the Technology for the vaccine is at the earliest evaluation stages as researchers continue to study how it can be developed into a successful program. Although the disease has been eradicated in the United States, polio is still considered as an endemic in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and other parts of Asia where vaccination against the disease is still actively ongoing. Health officials from the WHO say that "strong progress is being made" in these areas but they also believe that refining this potential solution for the administration of the polio vaccine will help to widen the scope of eradication of this condition.
Spokesperson for the Polio Eradication Initiative from the WHO, Oliver Rosebauer, described the program as a "potentially excellent new solution." He added that, "any vaccine is only as good as the number of children it reaches and, traditionally, vaccines are given with needles via injections and to reach remote populations can be very difficult." Rosenbauer also said that this method will not only help areas where polio still exists, but that they are also looking at targeting "post-eradication" areas, saying, "We have to continue to maintain population immunity levels even after polio has been eradicated, to make sure that it doesn't come back. So you need solutions for that time as well, once polio has been gone. And this could be the solution for that." He explained that, "unless polio is eradicated everywhere, you are always going to run the risk that an area can become re-infected because it is a highly contagious disease."