Two doses of IPV followed by three doses of OPV approved as the new polio vaccination program for Thai toddlers

Routine polio vaccination for Thai toddlers will now consist of two doses of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) injections followed by three doses of oral polio vaccine after being approved by the National Health Security Office Board (NHSB) in February.

This is part of the Thai government's effort to enhance the health benefits of the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) while improving children's immunity against the poliovirus.

The proposal to change the polio immunization program from one dose IPV and four doses OPV, or five doses OPV, to two doses of IPV followed by three doses OPV, was presented by Assoc Prof Prasobsri Ungthavorn, chair of the Benefits Package Subcommittee, and Mrs. Waraporn Suwanwela, the NHSO deputy secretary-general. An IPV procurement plan this year was also provided.



Dr Cholnan Srikaew, Public Health Minister and Chairman of the National Health Security Office Board (NHSB) explained that polio vaccination is one of the NHSO's health promotion and disease prevention services that provide vaccines to all Thai toddlers regardless of their health insurance scheme. 

The board's decision to enhance the polio vaccination program with two doses of IPV followed by three doses of the oral vaccine stems from recent evidence showing that receiving two doses of IPV can enhance immunity against poliovirus type two and prevent potential outbreaks of vaccine-derived poliovirus type two (VDPV2)

Last year, a feasibility study was conducted at a public hospital under the Ministry of Public Health to assess the administration of 2 doses of IPV injection. The study yielded positive outcomes, confirming the feasibility of the new polio vaccination regimen within existing healthcare personnel duties. Additionally, the pilot study showed that increasing the number of IPV injections to two doses would not pose budget constraints.

NHSO's Secretary-General, Dr. Jadej Thammatacharee, stated that increasing the number of IPV injections to two doses requires procuring approximately one million additional doses per year. 

"Half of these doses have already been procured according to the approved procurement plan. The other 520,000 doses require an additional budget of 145.86 million baht, which the NHSO will utilize savings from joint procurement plans for medications this year to ensure the implementation of the vaccination plan," Dr.Jadej added. 



Dr Jadej ensured that the expansion of the IPV benefits complies with the recommendations of the World Health Organization, which emphasized immunization enhancement by providing two doses of IPV injection to a child. 

While the NHSO prepares to administer this new health benefit, it will use existing IPV for infants at two months of age. This is a change from the previous program, which administered a single dose of IPV at four months of age. 
The NHSO will announce this new benefit to health units across the country.