India may have won the battle against polio but the war is far from over. Having achieved one full polio-free year, the key challenge now is to ensure any residual or imported poliovirus in the country is rapidly detected and eliminated.
The challenge is also to ensure all children up to 5 years continue to take OPV at every available opportunity (during polio campaigns and routine immunisations) both in and outside the polio-endemic States until global eradication is achieved, Anuradha Gupta, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told reporters in New Delhi, ahead of a two-day Polio Summit 2012 beginning February 25.
The summit will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to celebrate the “major achievement and unprecedented’’ progress which needs to be sustained until polio is eradicated. The last bastions of polio in India – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal – are expected to present their efforts and challenges at the summit which will also provide a platform for sharing and learning lessons, and to renew and reinforce commitment of the stakeholders in polio eradication. The summit is being organised in collaboration with Rotary International.
On January 13, 2012 India achieved a major milestone in the history of polio eradication – a 12 month period without any case of polio being recorded. This date marks the unprecedented progress in India and is an endorsement of the effectiveness of the polio eradication strategies and their implementation in India, Ms Gupta said.
The last polio case was reported from Howrah in West Bengal on January 13 last year. In 2010, there were 42 cases while as many as 150,000 cases were reported in 1985. The last positive case from monthly environmental sewage sampling (conducted in Delhi, Mumbai and Patna) was reported from Mumbai in 2010.
Since the launch of Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the incidence of wild poliovirus has reduced by 99 per cent – from 350,000 children paralysed or killed annually in 125 countries in 1988 to 649 cases in 17 countries in 2011. In 2006, the number of polio-endemic countries (countries that have never stopped indigenous wild poliovirus transmission) was reduced to four – India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
One of the three types of wild poliovirus – wild poliovirus type 2 (WPV2) has been eradicated globally. The last case of WPV 2 was reported from Aligarh in October 1999. The two polio endemic States of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have not reported any case of polio since April 2010 and September 2010 respectively.
The transmission of the most dangerous WPV1, which caused 95 per cent of polio in India until 2006, dropped to record low levels in 2010. Uttar Pradesh, the epicentre of most polio outbreaks in the country, has not reported any WPV1 cases since November 2009.
“The challenge really is to ensure imported poliovirus because neighbouring Pakistan and Afghanistan have a large number of cases. We have set up booths along the Indo-Pakistan border to check any importation of cases from Pakistan,’’ Ms Gupta said.
Keywords: Health awareness, Pulse Polio programme, Preventive measures
After that we walked over to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial atking pictures along the way. We walked down the wall and went over to one of the books that help you find family members killed in the war. As far as we know, we do not have and relatives that were killed in the war, but my Grandfather that I am going to see in California did serve in the Navy during the Vietnam War. My mom and I looked up the name e2€œWorthingtone2€9d and found 6 people with the last name of e2€œWorthingtone2€9d killed in the war. Then we took about a 15-20 minute walk over to the Museum of American History where we saw the very first American Flag which was all tattered and torn. It was the flag that inspired our National Anthem. Then we took another 5 minute walk over to the Museum of Natural History where we explored the Sea life exhibit, the Mammal exhibit and the Gems and Minerals exhibit where we got to see the Hope Diamond which was absolutely gorgeous as was the rest of the gems. This picture is for you Aardvark. I hope the pictures make it on here. I sent three.
We must laud it. It was an uphill task for a country like India where
poverty, illiteracy & superstitions block our progress.Dedicated efforts
of the health department has made it possible to keep India polio free
for more than a year and raised hopes of eradication of this disease in
near future.Constant vigil is required to sustain this effort.
"Polio Eradication Initiatives in India" is probably the biggest health activity in the world. Making Bihar & UP polio free is definitely an arduous task that the dedicated group of vaccinators, supervisors, volunteers & health workers made possible. When most of the countries of world has been certified as polio free by WHO we are yet to get it. One year without polio in India has raised the hope in the sub-continent that it is not so far now. The Pulse polio immunization program in India, especially in Bihar has displayed the success of inter-sectoral coordination for achieving health goals. There are brain storming for using this model to achieve other Millennium Development Goals as well. In states like Bihar the intense Pulse Polio Immunization rounds has kept the Health Facilities alert, be it government & non-government. It has definitely helped increase in Routine Immunization coverage and vice versa. Hope fully we can see India as Polio Free country soon.
Still we are dying with dengue , malaria , rat fever, tomato fever. No is there to address this. May be no un meetings to celebrate this ?
"We have set up booths along the Indo-Pakistan border to check any importation of cases from Pakistan,’’The best thing India could do now. Will India take any special efforts to see that the neighboring countries are following the foot steps of India.If India can find resources to lent soft loans for relatively poor nation.Why can't we think of a soft polio loan with strict measures to ensure that the money being released is spent for polio eradication only.If need be a support in terms of sending our proven dedicated voluntary staff .If we can rush staff and aid in the event of calamity, the same way it should be seen.After all it is going to benefit India also.What shall be the indirect cost if the virus spread again?.It is time that India negotiate with bordering nations on this aspect.It can also boost bilateral relations too.
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