Can effective containment of wild polioviruses in laboratories and inactivated poliovirus vaccine production sites ever be achieved?
Permanent eradication of poliomyelitis requires the cessation of (wild) poliovirus circulation in the human population and effective containment of wild polioviruses in laboratories and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) production sites. Dowdle et al. (1) discuss the principles underlying effective containment and conclude that, although absolute containment can never be guaranteed, it is technically and operationally possible on a global scale. However, although it is now generally accepted that the strategy and tools for the interruption of wild poliovirus transmission will be effective, if applied correctly, the need for and feasibility of laboratory containment of wild polioviruses are still being debated (2-4). Probably the greatest challenge for containment…
