India closer to eradication of polio

From two lakh cases being reported in a year in the late 80s to no case reported in the last one year, India’s Pulse Polio programme has come a long way. HT reports.

From two lakh cases being reported in a year in the late 80s to no case reported in the last one year, India’s Pulse Polio programme has come a long way.

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate a two-day Polio Summit 2012 in the Capital on February 25, organized by the union health ministry and Rotary International to celebrate this achievement and to focus on the risks and way forward for complete eradication of the disease.

“We have proved wrong all the predications that said India will be the last country to get rid of polio. In the light of this background, the achievement has been impressive," said Anuradha Gupta, additional secretary, ministry of health.

"But the war is not yet over; we need to continue our momentum for the next two years to be declared a polio-free country. The Summit isn’t only to celebrate our achievement but to take stock of the challenges ahead,” she added.

World Health Organisation certifies a country polio-free after no case of the disease is reported from there for at least three consecutive years.