WHO announced the donation by Sanofi Pasteur to WHO of a vaccine seed-strain used for the production of oral polio vaccine (OPV). The type 3 polio seed-strain is an original viral seed used to produce large quantities of OPV against type 3 poliovirus. With this donation, WHO said it now “owns” all three seed-strain viruses (types 1, 2 and 3) needed for the production of polio vaccines, noting that while Sanofi Pasteur had in the past made available its type 3 seed-strain, in collaboration with WHO, to other manufacturers to help secure a global supply of polio vaccines, this generous donation will further simplify this process. The donation also means that production capacity — including in the developing country setting — can be further scaled-up to help meet the needs of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), and further strengthen public health systems. http://www.who.int/immunization/newsroom/newsstory_donation_vaccine_strain/en/index.html