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India to complete yr without new polio cases; may be off WHO list

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Abantika Ghosh

Posted: Jan 12, 2012 at 0325 hrs IST

New Delhi On Friday, India will reach a major milestone in the battle against polio. January 13 will mark a year without a fresh case of polio in the country. Once all samples collected till January 12 have been cleared, India will be off the World Health Organisation’s list of polio-endemic countries, to be released on February 12.

To be “polio free”, India will need to keep this performance up for two more years, and ensure that all samples stored in laboratories are free of the virus — this, officials said, was the bigger challenge.

The last polio case reported in India was that of a two-year-old in West Bengal on January 13, 2011.

India is one of four polio-endemic countries, the others being Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

A cautiously optimistic health ministry is especially happy about the smaller success stories in the big picture. The two “hotbeds” of the disease, western Uttar Pradesh and central Bihar, have been polio free for close to two years now.

“We are very happy but the goals get steeper. The pulse polio drive has taken off well, even Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are reporting a coverage of 99 per cent or more. Internationally we are being lauded because even in Washington, 6 per cent of children are not immunised. WHO wants us to guide other endemic countries,” said Anuradha Gupta, joint secretary in charge of reproductive and child health.

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WELL DONE by JAY VARDHAN on 15 Jan 2012

Felt delighted and remembered all those nobel persons who worked tirelessly at this mammoth task of eradicating polio from such a vulnerable country wherein many of the national policies and campagnes are oftentimes failed at the doorstep of our social, political, economic, administrative and religious constraints. Especially, i remembered those sincere staffs whome i found routinely asking at the doors, railway stations, bus stands, market places etc. 'if there is any child below five years left for the polio drops'. Every time a short film- "do bund zindgi ki" being telecaste at the national television and aired on radio does contributed needfull in spreading awareness to the rural areas. Interestingly, all these days i never realised that they are going to make such an unprecedent achievement. Finally, it is the proud moment to celebrate and put more effort to capitalise on the challenges ahead.

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