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Journalism of Courage
Its been three years since a polio case was last reported from Uttar Pradesh. The day was commemorated as Sankalp Divas by the state government with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav,Health Minister Ahmad Hasan and others taking pledge to continue the polio eradication campaign.
The last case of polio was reported in Firozabad on April 21,2010,after which no case has been reported in the state so far.
The last case of polio in the country was reported from West Bengal on January 13,2011. Last year,India was removed from the list of polio endemic countries by the WHO. India will be declared polio free if no more cases are reported from the country for another year.
Speaking on the occasion,the Chief Minister said that the polio eradication programme was started in UP in 2002 during the previous SP regime and it is due to constant support of all the people involved in the campaign that the state has been able to achieve this milestone.
The Chief Minister honoured religious leaders for helping in polio eradication campaign by creating awareness in areas where people were hesitant in getting their children immunised against the disease because of misunderstandings.
Hasan said that in 2002,two-third of the countrys cases were reported from Uttar Pradesh and officials used to wonder if the state would be able to eradicate polio,but the state has achieved the target. Hasan announced that in the next one year the state government will provide free of cost corrective surgeries for those affected by polio in the state.
