More than 17 crore Indian Kids get Polio Vaccine



In a nationwide campaign for polio vaccination on Sunday, more than 17 crore children below 5 years of age were given polio drops across India. The great news is that not even a single new case of the polio disease has been reported in India during the last one year.

Advertisements on the Pulse Polio campaign were issued by the union health and family welfare ministry in the media and posters as well as banners were put up at booths, government schools, dispensaries and hospitals across India. Moreover, the capital of the country witnessed the placing of the advertisements even at Metro stations.

The launching of the campaign took place with hands of the President Pratibha Devi Patil and Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad (Health and Family Welfare) on Saturday. On this occasion, Mr. Gulam Nabi Azad said, “It is indeed remarkable achievement that for the last one year, the country has remained completely free from polio without witnessing even a single case.”

The best part of the campaign was setting up of special booths near the international border at the Attari border in Punjab and the Munabao Railway Station in Barmer district of Rajasthan. The aim behind setting up these special booths was to ensure that even the children under five years coming from the neighbouring country were immunised with the polio drops. Over Rs. 12,000 crore has been spent on the Pulse Polio programme by India. In January 2010, the programme helped in introducing the bivalent polio vaccine.

On 13th January 2011, the last case of polio was reported in West Bengal involving a 2 years old girl. However, 42 cases of the Polio were reported in 2010 and 741 cases in 2009. Going back to 1991, we find 6,028 cases and if we check past results prior to 1991, then we get to know of 150,000 polio cases in 1985. So, looking at the statistics, we find that India has drastically improved over the period of time and has managed to eradicate polio from the roots. Thus, if no more case of polio gets reported in India for the next two years, then the World Health Organisation (WHO) would declare India as a polio-free country. So, keeping our fingers crossed, we pray that no other case of polio emerges in India in the future.