Under India's Universal Immunization Programme, the Open Vial Policy (OVP) was introduced for multi-dose vials. Which of the following vaccines is explicitly EXCLUDED from the Open Vial Policy and must be DISCARDED at end of the session regardless of remaining doses?
- A Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV)
- B BCG ✓
- C Hepatitis B (HBV)
- D Pentavalent vaccine
Correct answer: B. BCG
Explanation
The Open Vial Policy allows reuse of multi-dose vials of OPV, liquid pentavalent, hepatitis B, liquid DTP, and TT in subsequent sessions (within specified periods) provided cold chain was maintained and no contamination occurred. BCG vaccine is excluded from OVP because it contains a live attenuated organism (M. bovis BCG) and the freeze-dried powder, once reconstituted, must be used within 3 hours or discarded—reconstituted BCG must never be carried over to the next session due to potency loss and contamination risk.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.