No polio case in city for 3 years, but govt to continue drive

No polio cases have been reported in Delhi for the last three years. A 26-year-old MBA student from south Delhi’s Ambedkar Nagar was the last person infected with the disease on June 29, 2009.

No polio cases have been reported in Delhi for the last three years. A 26-year-old MBA student from south Delhi’s Ambedkar Nagar was the last person infected with the disease on June 29, 2009. Four cases were reported in the state that year.

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Not willing to take any chances, however, the state health department is continuing its polio vaccination and surveillance programme till the time the country remains free of infection for at least three consecutive years.

“Till we eradicate polio from the country, there is always a risk of the disease coming back. A place such as Delhi, which has a significant migrant population, is always at a high risk,” said Dr CM Khaneju, officer on special duty, Delhi Pulse Polio Programme.

Almost 95% of the polio cases reported in Delhi in the last 10 years were migrants.

The high-risk areas in the Capital include those where slum clusters were relocated before the Commonwealth Games 2010, along with rural pockets within the city and transit points such as railway stations and bus stops.

“Nearly 25 lakh children are vaccinated during each polio eradication drive. And if you add to this the 3.5 lakh children who are born every year in the city, you will realise the enormity of the task,” said Dr AK Walia, state health minister.

“The drive owes its success to the efforts of Delhi government and agencies such as the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and others,” said Dr Khaneju.