Type-2 polio virus found in Oral vaccine: MD arrested

New Delhi: The Health Ministry has ordered a probe after some contaminated batches of oral polio vaccine (OPV) were found with Type-2 Polio Virus, manufactured by Ghaziabad-based pharmaceutical company 'Biomed Pvt Ltd', managing director was arrested on Saturday.

According to a government official,"The company has five directors. While the managing director has been arrested, we have asked the police to trace the rest directors as they also need to be questioned."

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This Pharmaceutical company was supplying Polio vaccines only to government-run immunisation programmes.

The matter came under scrutiny when surveillance reports from Uttar Pradesh showed signs of the virus in stool samples of some children.After which OPVs were sent for a lab test where it was found that some of the samples were contaminated with type-2 virus.

The Drugs Controller General of India has asked the company not to "manufacture, sale or distribute OPVs till further orders".

The ministry has also alerted the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra governments about the contamination of OPVs, assuming a possible usage of the vaccine there.

Polio type-2 virus strain has been eradicated worldwide, including in India.