The Hindu : New Delhi News : Wild polio virus yet to be tamed

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Friday, Sep 15, 2006
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New Delhi

Wild polio virus yet to be tamed

Staff Reporter

IMA-appointed panel presents reports on polio and Hepatitis B eradication

NEW DELHI: The special committee appointed by the Indian Medical Association to look into the problems of Hepatitis B and polio eradication has come up with its reports and recommendations.

The committee, constituted under the chairmanship of the former Director of the Department of Paediatrics and Maulana Azad Medical College and Associated Professor at LNJP Hospital, Dr. S. K. Mittal, has noted that despite impressive achievements polio eradication programme in India has not succeeded in eliminating the wild polio virus and at the same time the incidence of acute flaccid (polio-like) paralysis has seen a dramatic increase.

The committee also noted that the chronic carrier rate of Hepatitis B in India is only 1.6 per cent as opposed to the 4.3 to 4.7 per cent usually projected. The recommendations were formulated after a national consultative meeting organised in Delhi on May 14 where experts on these two subjects were invited from all over the country.

"The polio eradication programme has been undertaken in the country since 1995 with the initial target date of 2000 but has not yet succeeded in eliminating the wild polio virus.

This year we already have 280 cases diagnosed as paralytic paralysis due to wild poliovirus compared to 66 last year.

At the same time, the incidence of acute flaccid paralysis has seen a dramatic rise from about 1/100,00 to almost 12/100,000 per year in polio endemic areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. This sudden, unprecedented increase in polio-like paralysis needs to be investigated, to know its causes and outcome,' said IMA Secretary-General Dr. Vinay Aggarwal.

Speaking about plans to up-scale the Hepatitis B vaccination in the country, Dr. Aggarwal said: "Hepatitis-B is not a major public health problem especially when one sees this against the annual deaths due to tuberculosis, diarrhoea and respiratory infections, so the decision to scale up Hepatitis B vaccination in India at an annual cost of Rs. 500 crores will appear to be wasteful spending on a non-priority health problem.''

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