Courtesy UP,India beats Nigeria to top polio list

India accounts for 44 per cent of total polio cases reported in the world while Nigeria accounts for 26 per cent. Neighbouring Pakistan occupies the third place with 82 polio cases while Bangladesh and Nepal have not reported a single case so far.

The sharp rise in polio cases in UP has become a cause for concern. Even neighbouring Bihar has been able to reduce the number of fresh polio cases from 233 cases in 2008 to just 111 this year.

The authorities are clueless about the exact cause for this rise and cite reasons ranging from low immunity,poor hygienic conditions and low routine immunisation.

Another worrying development is the emergence of Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region as a new epicentre of the polio virus.

This year,Ghaziabad has reported 71 polio cases,the same as recorded from the traditional polio epicentre of Moradabad. Last year,Ghaziabad had reported just five cases. This year,even neighbouring Gautam Budh Nagar has reported 19 polio cases. Last year,there was none.

“There was concern about the increase in polio cases in the state at a recent meeting of the expert advisory group on polio eradication. But it is hard to define any specific reason for the increasing number of polio cases here. We now see the bivalent vaccine as a ray of hope because while we concentrate on one virus,the other rises in the area. The bivalent vaccine will attack both type1 and type 3 viruses,” said Ashok Mahajan,a trustee of Rotary Fund and a member of the International Polio Plus committee of Rotary.

The bivalent vaccine will be introduced in January. The monovalent vaccine,used so far,provided immunity against only one type of virus at a time.

Experts believe migrant labour is the main reason for Ghaziabad’s depressing distinction. Mahajan,who was in Lucknow on Thursday,said Ghaziabad poses “a new challenge”. “The main reason there is the migrant population. While we have been actively tracking this migrant population,it is difficult to ensure that every child there is given the drop,” he said.