The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Fears over polio case in Visakhapatnam allayed

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Wednesday, Mar 07, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Fears over polio case in Visakhapatnam allayed

Special Correspondent

Government attributes water contamination to be the cause for the first polio case reported in the State since May 2004

HYDERABAD: Maintaining that there was no need for alarm, the Government on Tuesday attributed water contamination to be the cause of the first polio case reported in the State since May 2004.

A two-and-half year-old boy from a fisherman's family in Pedajalaripeta in Visakhapatnam was recently found to have been afflicted by wild polio virus (P1 strain). Addressing a press meet here on Tuesday, Health Secretary P.V. Ramesh said that a very effective surveillance system was in place and no other case was reported in the State. The Government is launching a "Mop-up' Pulse Polio programme on March 18 in six districts--Srikakulam, Krishna Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari.

Repeat operation

Mr.Ramesh said that about 25 lakh children below five years would be immunised during the mop-up campaign, which would be repeated again on April 29 and May 20. He said that so far 11 polio cases were reported in the country this year, including one in Andhra Pradesh. Replying to questions, he said that normally a child is given five doses of polio vaccine and there was always a probability of it not being 100 per cent effective. In the latest case, which came into the open due to surveillance, he said the boy had received three regular doses and two during the Pulse Polio immunisation drive. Obviously, the serological protection was not adequate, he said.

`Safe vaccine'

Denying that the administered vaccine was not being stored as per prescribed conditions, he said the cold chain storage was very effective in Pulse Polio system.

He also said that there was no evidence that more than five doses if administered to a child under five would be harmful. "It is a safe vaccine and does not have side-effects," he added.

J. V. V. R. K. Prasad, surveillance medical officer, WHO, polio project, said that while there are three polio strains (P1, P2 and P3), P1 is found mostly in the country. In the latest case, it might have come either from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh.

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