Polio cases in India on the decline

(October 27, 2011) India has never been closer to wiping out polio, India’s health minister declared as he marked World Polio Day observed on the 24^th of October. “We are close to our goal but are not taking any chances,” health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Monday. “Efforts will be further intensified in the country to stop any residual polio virus circulation and also to prevent any polio cases following an international importation,” he said. The overall trend in India is so positive that its vaccination programme is being discussed as one, other countries might learn from,” he added. Medical sources said there have been no new cases for more than nine months, making it the longest polio free period since the global eradication period was launched. The only case reported this year was in the state of West Bengal in January. There were 39 cases reported over a similar period in 2010. India is only one of the four countries in the world where polio is still endemic. For decades health officials and non-governmental organisations have administered large scale immunisation programmes as India battled against the debilitating disease. The health ministry said that there have been no new cases reported from North India’s Uttar Pradesh state for 18 months and from Bihar for 13 months. India’s effort to eradicate polio has been praised by International Health Organisations.