India soon to be polio-free: WHO

India is on the cusp of being declared polio-free after not a single case was detected in the last 12 months, the World Health Organisation said yesterday.
Sona Bari, spokeswoman for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) that the WHO spearheads, said they faced “nail-biting” weeks ahead as they wait for the results of remaining laboratory tests.
India’s last polio victim was an 18-month-old girl in West Bengal, reported on January 13, 2011.
If all pending tests are negative it means India has reached one year without any cases and will no longer be considered polio-endemic.
India had traditionally been recognised as one of the hardest places in the world to eradicate the highly contagious, crippling disease which affects mainly the under fives.
As recently as 2009 there were a reported 741 polio cases – more than any other country in the world.
“We are pretty confident that all the results will be negative,” said Bari.
“Then India will no longer be polio endemic.
“No child will be paralysed by polio in India for the first time in history.”
Bari attributed the success to innovations in vaccines, funding and the commitment of the Indian people.
Last year two National Immunisation Days were carried out targeting 172 million children under five.
“India’s success is arguably its greatest public health achievement and has provided a global opportunity to push for the end of polio,” said WHO director general Margaret Chan.
“The lessons from India must now be adapted and implemented through emergency actions to finish polio everywhere.”
Caused by a virus, polio invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours.
Among those affected, five to ten percent die when their breathing muscles become immobilized, according to the WHO.
The disease is still endemic in three countries – Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan.
The situation in Nigeria and Pakistan “is on a precipice”, Bari said, but halting the disease in India showed it could be done in the most challenging of environments.
“What we need is political and financial commitment,” she said.
Polio historically thrived in India due to its high population density and poor sanitation.
The disease was particularly prevalent in the two northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which host significant migrant populations and where the healthcare system was weak.
GPEI is a partnership led by national governments and spearheaded by WHO, UNICEF and others.