How does oral polio virus vaccine shredding in faeces give herd immunity?

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The oral polio vaccine (OPV) is a live attenuated vaccine that contains a non-pathogenic strain of the poliovirus. When an individual is vaccinated, some of the attenuated virus is excreted in feces, allowing for potential indirect immunization of unvaccinated individuals through fecal contamination. This phenomenon can lead to herd immunity, particularly in close-contact environments such as households. The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding how fecal-oral transmission of the vaccine strain can contribute to broader community immunity against polio.

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Does this mean if someone comes into contact with faecally contaminated matter of an immunised polio person, that person would also be vaccinated. Thanks :smile:
 
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The oral polio vaccine is a live attenuated vaccine, meaning it contains live virus passaged through cells or another organism so that it is no longer pathogenic to humans. When an individual receives this vaccine, some of the attenuated virus is passed in the feces.

My understanding is that it is then very easy for an unvaccinated individual to come into contact with this fecal contamination and become immunized. Say for example an entire family shares the same bathroom but only one was vaccinated, the whole family would likely become vaccinated indirectly.
 
Heed well the Lessons of Typhoid.
 

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