After its prodders have failed to work with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on the polio front, the Union Health Ministry is ready for direct intervention. The Cabinet Secretary will now pull up officials in both states to fix the loopholes in their pulse polio campaign.In a letter written earlier this month, the Family Welfare secretary had requested the Cabinet Secretary to seek answers from senior officials in both states. Following the letter, sources said, the health secretaries are likely to be summoned to the Capital.The letter came after reports that the states were leaving out large chunks of the population in their pulse polio programmes. The issue gained urgency after 10 fresh cases of polio were reported this month, with eight in Uttar Pradesh alone, taking the figure to 41 for this year.‘‘A follow-up letter is going to the Cabinet Secretary again, giving an update on the latest situation in the state,’’ an official said.Reports with the Health Ministry show that in the last four pulse polio rounds, Uttar Pradesh has missed between seven and 10 per cent of the children in the state. While in April 2004, 6.96 per cent children were not covered, 8.32 percent were missed in May 2004. The percentage shot up to 8.99 in August, 2004.The figures for Bihar were even worse. While the state left out around 10 per cent of its children from the April 2004 pulse polio campaign, the percentage went up to 11.59 in May and 10.53 in July.Moradabad and Badaun, the two most affected districts, pose a worrying picture. The Health Ministry feedback showed that not only were children missed, the inspectors were showing false immunisations coverage as well.
