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Journalism of Courage
Eleven cases of polio have been detected from five states in the country so far this year, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
In December 2006, a total of 583 confirmed polio cases with onset in 2006 had been reported. Of these, 481 were from UP, 48 from Bihar and 54 from 12 other states.
A further 10 per cent are from a single genetic group with origins in endemic districts in north-central Bihar, which has spread south to infect several southern districts of the same state, and west to infect several districts in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh.
The genetic evidence shows that, consistent with previous years since 2000, viral spread from endemic reservoir areas in western Uttar Pradesh and in Bihar is responsible for all cases of polio in India.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Panabaka Lakshmi said the 11 cases were reported from Uttar Pradesh 3, Bihar 5, Haryana 1, Maharashtra 1 and Andhra Pradesh 1. She said the epidemiological situation of polio in the country was reviewed by India Expert Advisory Group on Polio during December 2006.
8220;They were of the opinion that the population immunity against wild polio virus type 1 will be very high by the end of 2006 due to improvement in Supplementary Immunisation Activity quality, use of monovalent Oral Polio Vaccine and outbreak of 2006,8221; she said.
The expert group was confident that the virus circulation can be stopped in the country this year through implementation of appropriate strategies, the minister said.
The government, she said, was taking several steps to eradicate the virus from the country, including increasing the number of immunisation rounds in high-risk districts in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during the first half of this year to accelerate the immunity of children in these areas against the virus.
