Big blot UP turns around, polio down to record low

The pulse polio programme of the government seems to be bang on the target. After contributing more than 80 per cent of the world’s pol...

int(2)

The pulse polio programme of the government seems to be bang on the target. After contributing more than 80 per cent of the world’s polio cases with a record number of cases in 2002, the number has dropped to an all-time low of 224 in 2003.

There is more good news, the first two months of 2004 have seen just one confirmed case so far. India has dropped to the number two slot as Nigeria is leading the table with more than 300 polio cases. India aims to achieve zero incidence by the end of 2005 and experts say the goverment cannot afford to miss this opportunity of low incidence to go in for total eradication.

Even UP which recorded about 1,242 cases in 2002 had 88 cases last year. More than 60 per cent of these cases, according to the officials in the Health Ministry, were recorded between January and February 2003, which means a spillover from the previous year.

Story continues below this ad

According to sources, however, there is a flip side to the story as well. Polio cases had reached a considerable low in 2000 Polio drops to all-time low and 2001 with 265 and 268 cases respectively but the government failed to check on the numbers the next year. ‘‘After less numbers in 2000, the government suddenly decided to reduce the number of national immunisation days from four times a year to two with just one sub-national day compared to four. The consequences were seen the next year,’’ said an official. Besides, Karnataka and Andhra continue to be new hot zones of polio. Both states with zero cases in 2002 have reported about 36 and 21 cases respectively last year. ‘‘Both states reported two cases in December 2003. There are reports of one case from Raichur district this month but it has not been confirmed yet,’’ he added.

‘‘The wild polio virus is still present in India, so we can’t afford to take things easy. If we miss the opportunity this time we can never be able to control the virus,’’ he added.