icddr,b senior scientist Dr K Zaman with his collaborative team from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have won the Charles C. Shepard Science Award for the second time!
Dr Zaman’s research findings on immunogenicity of type 2 monovalent oral and inactivated poliovirus vaccines for type 2 poliovirus outbreak response, published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, was a winner in Prevention and Control – one of the four categories of the Charles C. Shepard Science Award.
The same team with CDC colleagues also previously won 2016 Charles C. Shepard Science Award.
This randomised controlled trial recruited infants to receive a short interval dose schedule of monovalent type 2 polio vaccine (mOPV2).
The result showed that mOPV2 given at short interval does not interfere with its immunogenicity compared to regular 4 weeks schedule.
These findings provide important data to SAGE to revise the global type 2 poliovirus outbreak response protocol, which will strengthen the outbreak control programme by improving vaccination campaign coverage, reaching more to the unvaccinated most needed population.
The mOPV2 vaccine is now in WHO stockpile and being used in many countries to control type 2 polio outbreaks.
Since 1986, the CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have presented the Charles C. Shepard Science Award to authors of the most outstanding peer-reviewed research papers from CDC/ATSDR during the preceding year.
The award recognises scientific achievement and honours the memory of Dr Charles C. Shepard, whose career was marked by the pursuit of scientific excellence.
Dr K Zaman led different polio vaccine studies in collaboration with CDC scientists as part of developing Polio Endgame strategy. He is the member of WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Polio Immunization and Polio Research Committee (PRC).
