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`Concerted efforts will help eradicate polio'

Staff Reporter

`There is pressure on India to make itself polio-free, as it is one of the three countries in Asia, with Afghanistan and Pakistan, that have been reporting polio cases.'

BANGALORE: India is closest than ever before to eradicating the polio mellitus virus and concerted efforts to immunise all children may remove the virus altogether from the country in a couple of years, Jay Wenger, Project Manager, National Polio Surveillance Project (NPSP)-India, said here on Saturday.

Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Wenger said last year only 136 cases were reported from 44 districts in the country, which was the lowest ever. This year, 14 polio cases have been reported till now. "If India continues in this pace, we may not have any polio cases next year," he said. There was pressure on India to make itself polio-free, as it is one of the three countries in Asia, along with Afghanistan and Pakistan that have been reporting polio cases. All other countries have not reported fresh cases, he said. Once a country has zero cases, surveillance will continue for the next three years before it is declared polio-free, he added.

M.G. Prasad, Project Director, Reproductive and Child Health Programme, said there were more than 700 vacant posts of health workers in the State, owing to which there had been a shortage of volunteers for the polio immunisation programme. But the department had started training people to fill these posts.

Pavana Murthy, Regional Coordinator-South India, NPSP, said the State recorded the last polio case on February 4 and no case has been reported since then. Polio eradication efforts have reduced polio cases across the world from an estimated 3,50,000 cases in 1988 to 1,200 cases in 2004, he said.

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