"Within the framework of promoting the WHO initiative for the liquidation of poliomyelitis, we are extremely interested in the earliest certification of this institution for correspondence to the international standards for the production of the polio vaccine", Onischenko said. He recalled that only in this case can the Russian vaccine reach the international market.
In turn, Dr.Lee assured that "this question is being resolved" and the WHO ad-hoc commission will estimate it.
In 2005 the Russian Polio Research Institute will mark its 50th birthday. It is among the first in the world and Russia's only institute making the anti-polio vaccine. Over half a century ago it was developed by Russian researchers-founders of the institute Anatoli Smorodintsev (1901-1986) and Mikhail Chumakov (1909-1993).
According to the institute, during the times of the USSR the vaccine was supplied to Soviet republics and 40 foreign countries. In 2000, according to the new standards, WHO certification is required for emergence on the international markets.
In June 2002 Russia got the WHO certificate as a country free of polio. In the opinion of the chief sanitary doctor, as long as there are registered cases of polio in other countries (India, African countries), there is a danger of infection and the vaccination of the Russian population must be continued.
Onischenko said that the emergence of our vaccine on the international market will help to resolve, as a whole, the problem of global elimination of polio.
