Why would the Sabin oral polio vaccine need to be eliminated after eradication of the polio virus?
A) Since it is a live, attenuated viral vaccine, there's always the chance it could revert back into a pathogenic state by mutation. This would introduce new strains still capable of causing the illness into human populations, preventing elimination.
B) The Sabin vaccine is cheaper than the Salk (killed virus) vaccine, but it isn't as effective at producing a protective response. We'll need to shift to the more effective Salk vaccine worldwide eventually to complete the eradication process.
C) The Salk vaccine is far cheaper than the Sabin vaccine. To effectively eradicate polio, we'll need to shift all of our resources into the cheapest and easiest to deliver vaccine possible. That is the Salk vaccine.
D) The Sabin vaccine can only be administered to human beings. We need to vaccinate bird populations as well to effectively control the spread of polio. Birds are a natural reservoir for the virus.
E) There will be no need to eliminate the polio vaccine after polio virus eradication. Both the Sabin and the Salk vaccines will still be essential.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the Sabin vaccine contains live, attenuated virus, there is a potential risk of the virus reverting back to its pathogenic state by mutation. This could introduce new strains of the virus into human populations, which could prevent the complete eradication of polio. Thus, it needs to be eliminated after eradication of the polio virus to prevent any further outbreak.

Why Would the Sabin Oral Polio Vaccine Need to Be