3 polio cases surface in UP
POLIO ERADICATION efforts in Uttar Pradesh suffered a jolt when three cases of the crippling virus afflicting children were reported from Jaunpur and Mirzapur districts.
POLIO ERADICATION efforts in Uttar Pradesh suffered a jolt when three cases of the crippling virus afflicting children were reported from Jaunpur and Mirzapur districts.
In Jaunpur, two children of the same family have been infected with the virus within a span of two days. The World Health Organisation (WHO) conducted tests and confirmed the polio cases, Jaunpur CMO Dr LN Singh said on Friday.
In Mirzapur’s Vishnupatti village under the Kone Development Block the virus has been detected in a three-year-old girl Ranno. CMO Dr P Singh said there was no irregularity in administrating polio drops in the area.
The DM of Mirzapur and the CMO visited the village and a panel has been set up to carry out a medical study of Vishnupatti and its surrounding areas detect if more such cases were there. The team will also study the causes for the ‘outbreak’ of polio in the area.
Ironically, while Ranno fell prey to the virus despite taking anti-polio vaccines regularly, the Health Department blamed the parents of Jaunpur kids Om Prakash (2) and Vishal Sonkar (22 months) for not administering polio drops to them on time.
Dr Singh said WHO officials gave him details about the two children on Friday. He pointed out that the kids of Subhash Sonkar and his brother Ratan lived in unhygienic surroundings in Mohalla Dharnidharanpur near Bhandari Rly Station in the city. He added that family members of the two kids had resisted the polio drive. After sustained efforts, the volunteers had managed to administer 8 to 10 doses of polio drops to them since January, 2005, he added.
While Om Prakash showed signs of polio on September 6, his cousin Vishal developed the disease on September 11. He had been administered polio drops a day earlier. On the advice of the team the family members visited the District Hospital for the treatment of the kids. Stool tests revealed that they had polio virus.
Later, the WHO report also confirmed the same.
