Health and Family Welfare department will further intensify anti-polio campaign in the country in the beginning of year 2012 so as to eradicate wild polio virus from the country.
Disclosing it here today, Civil Surgeon Dr. Yash Mittra and Immunization Officer Dr. Ajay Bagga stated that epidemiologic, genetic and technical evidence had shown that India was on the right path to achieve polio eradication. They said during the last 11 months not even a single case of wild polio virus had been detected in the country. Last polio case was reporting from Hawra Best Wengal on 13 Jan 2011, added Dr. Mittra and Dr. Bagga. They stated that however, polio cases were being reported in the neighboring country Pakistan and their are chances of the virus coming to India.
Civil Surgeon and Immunization Officer said that on the recommendations of the India Expert Advisory Group (IEAG) on polio, Health and Family Welfare Department has decided to conduct Sub National Immunization Day (SNID) on 15 Jan 2012 in the states of Bihar, Delhi, Gujrat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pardesh and West Bengal. On this day children belonging to the migratory population between 0 to 5 year of age will be immunized against polio. During this campaign bivalent polio vaccine will be administered to the children.
Dr. Mittra and Dr. Bagga further disclosed that to keep the country free from polio virus IEAG has also recommended to conduct first round of NID on 19 Feb and second round of NID on 1st April 2012. During these rounds all the children between 0 to 5 years of age in the country will be administered trivalent oral polio vaccine.
All the Senior Medical Officers have been directed to ensure the successful implementation of these campaigns with the help of NGOs so as to achieve the goal of polio free India.
