Guide to introducing IPV vaccine into national immunization programmes

As one of its four major objectives, the Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018 (the Endgame Plan) calls on countries to introduce at least 1 dose of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) into routine immunization schedules, strengthen routine immunization and withdraw oral polio vaccine (OPV) in a phased manner, starting with OPV type 2

As part of the Endgame Plan and as recommended by WHO, all 126 countries which at the start of 2013 were only using OPV, committed to introduce at least 1 dose of the IPV into routine immunization schedules as part of preparations for the global withdrawal of the type 2 component of OPV in “the switch” from trivalent to bivalent OPV in April 2016.