'No let up in anti-polio programme'
September 09, 2004

India will have to vigorously push through the programme to eradicate polio as any slackeness in efforts could lead to its resurgence, health workers warned Thursday.

The country recorded only 46 polio cases so far this year, while the number during the same period last year was 126. If the current drive against the crippling disease continues, India could expect to be free from polio soon, the health workers said.

"It is 100 percent assured that polio will soon be eradicated in India," said Deepak Kapoor, chairman of Rotary International. "But exactly how soon would depend on the next few rounds of administering the vaccine."

India is one of the only six countries where people are still afflicted by polio, the others being Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Egypt and Niger.

Till last year, India had recorded the maximum number of polio cases every year. In 2003, the country ranked second for the first time with 225 cases, a massive drop from 2002's 1,600 cases.

Of the 46 cases recorded this year, 28 were in Uttar Pradesh alone. Last year, Uttar Pradesh had recorded 88 cases.

Bihar recorded nine cases, Delhi and Maharashtra two each, and West Bengal, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu one each.

"Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are still the hotspots in India. But even there, the numbers are effectively coming down," said Lokesh Gupta, a Rotary International official.

In 1988, India -- plagued by superstition, lack of awareness and education -- had recorded a horrific 350,000 polio cases.

In 1997, a public-private partnership between the government and organisations like Rotary International, Centre For Disability Control, World Health Organisation and UNICEF, led to the "Pulse Polio Programme".

Its initial target had been to eradicate the disease by 2000.

In 1997, the number of polio cases was brought down to 2,489, from 4791 in 1994.

Roping in celebrity heavyweights like film star Amitabh Bachchan and several religious leaders for an anti-polio campaign, the project left no stone unturned to achieve its goal.

On "Pulse Polio Days", around 168 million children are vaccinated every year.

These extensive immunisation campaigns are followed by door-to-door checks, when volunteers go to remote areas and urban slums to check if any newborns were missed.

This year, two Pulse Polio Days were observed in January and February. The next two campaigns will be held in October and November.

"Today's situation is far better than before, though at places one might still be faced with passive reluctance. There is no resistance now. Earlier, we used to sit with people to explain the importance of the polio vaccine, but now they are more open," said Kapoor.

--Indo-Asian News Service