We evaluated the immunogenicity and safety of eIPV(Imovax Polio®) in a group of healthy Korean infants on a three-dose primary vaccination.

Eighty one healthy infants aged 8-10 weeks were enrolled, and 79(male 42, female 37) completed the study. Three doses of eIPV were injected intramuscularly at 2, 4 and 6 months of age as of primary vaccination. Most subjects received concomitant vaccines such as DTaP and/or Hib at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Immediate reactions were monitored for 30 minutes after each injection. Local and systemic events were recorded for 72 hours following each immunization by parents/guardians. Poliovirus specific neutralizing antibodies were measured using enzyme immuno-assay(EIA) at prior to and 1 month after the third dose. An antibody titer of 1:8 or higher was considered seroprotective. Geometric mean titers(GMTs) to each poliovirus type antigen were also measured.

One month after the third dose of eIPV, all infants(100 percent) were seroprotective. The geometric mean titers(GMTs) were 1,532(95 percent CI : 1,312-1,788) in type 1 and 835(95 percent CI : 684-1,018) in type 2 and 846(95 percent CI : 692-1,035) in type 3. Overall, local reactions were observed in 10 percent of infants and systemic reactions in 26.2 percent of infants. All reactions were bserved within 3 days after vaccination and resolved without treatment.

eIPV(Imovax Polio®) is a well-tolerated and highly immunogenic vaccine. It can be administered either alone or simultaneously with other routine vaccines to Korean infants.