India 'close' to eradicating polio, health minister says

India 'close' to eradicating polio, health minister says

2011-10-25 02:57:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- Only one case of polio has been detected in India so far this year, making it the longest polio-free period ever, the government said on Monday.

The only case reported this year was in the state of West Bengal on January 13. There were 39 cases reported over a similar period in 2010, the Press Trust of India reported.

"For the first time no case of polio has been reported from Uttar Pradesh (since April 2010) and also from Bihar (since September 2010). No case of type 3 polio has come up for over a year," the Health Ministry said in a statement on the eve of the World Polio Day.

The Health Ministry has decided to treat any fresh case of polio as a public health emergency. "An Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan has been drawn up to intensify measures to build the immunity of children in all high risk areas and also to conduct intensive immunization campaigns rapidly in response to any polio cases if they occurred," it said.

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad noted that while the progress this year is remarkable, the risk still persists. He said efforts will be further intensified to prevent any future polio cases.

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