The victim is two-and-half-year-old Yasmeen, a resident of Bhatayia area of Sultanpur district, who had been administered over 16 doses of polio vaccine under routine immunisation drives.

Consequently, the case has drawn special attention of the World Health Organization and the UNICEF. A team of WHO officials has already camped in the district to access the situation. More are expected to join them in the next few days. As the health officials are looking into the possible causes of this resurgence of the dangerous P1 virus, consideration is also given to the fact that her residence is near a railway line. It is possible that some child carrying the virus and travelling on train might have defecated near the place, they say.

The case is giving sleepless nights to health officials, who were otherwise celebrating that not a single P1 case was reported in over two months -- till the December 24 report of National Polio Surveillance Project. But in the last report of 2007 released on December 28, this case was included, taking the total of P1 cases in the state to 22.

"It is sad and surprising as there was no case P1 cases reported since 2002 in our district. Even last year, only six cases were reported from our district and all were P3. We are more troubled because of the fact that the entire immunisation chart of this child is perfect and she has been vaccinated properly," said KP Khuswaha, the Chief Medical Superintendent of Sultanpur district.

"Our first step is to launch special MoPv1 drives in the region near the railway line and also in those blocks that have reported such cases in the past," he added.

The health officials say Sultanpur district, which is hardly 140 kms from the state capital, will be the prime focus of the pulse polio drive in the state. "Resurgence of P1 virus is a cause of concern for all of us. It is however, some relief that no P1 case has been reported in the epicentre -- western Uttar Pradesh," said Ajay Saxena of Rotary International.

A statewide pulse polio drive, meanwhile, was launched today and health minister Anant Mishra along with Nita Choudhary, Principal Secretary, Health, visited some of the resistant areas in the state capital. The health officials of the particular areas have been asked to organise special health camps as well as Vitamin A drives.