bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (World Health Organization)

The bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (bOPV) is a live-attenuated vaccine containing Sabin strains of poliovirus types 1 and 3. It was developed as a critical component of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to replace the trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (tOPV) following the eradication of wild poliovirus type 2. By excluding the type 2 component, bOPV significantly reduces the risk of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP) and the emergence of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV) associated with the type 2 strain. The vaccine is administered orally and induces robust mucosal immunity in the intestines, which is essential for interrupting person-to-person transmission. It is typically used in routine immunization schedules and mass vaccination campaigns, often supplemented by the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) to provide comprehensive protection against all three poliovirus serotypes.

Brand names

Polio Sabin One and ThreeBOPV-VAC

Other names

bivalent oral polio vaccineSabin types 1 and 3 oral poliovirus vaccinebOPV (Type 1 and 3)