Anti-polio drive after fears of virus infiltration from Pak

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 28

President Pranab Mukherjee today launched the pulse polio programme for 2017, fearing that the crippling virus that affects children may infiltrate into India from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He administered polio drops to children less than five years of age at Rashtrapati Bhawan in the presence of Health Minister JP Nadda.

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The launch came on the eve of National Immunisation Day (January 29) that will witness 17 crore children of less than five years across the country being given polio drops as part of India’s efforts to stay polio-free.

Nadda said India despite being declared polio-free was at the risk of revival of the virus because it could come from Pakistan and Afghanistan where it still persisted.

He said there was a need “for the country to maintain the population immunity and sensitive surveillance till global polio eradication happens”.

“The risk of importation still persists from...Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria where polio virus is still circulating,” the minister said.

The minister also announced that the government was conducting continuous polio vaccination at the international borders and had also issued travel advisory to vaccinate all tourists.

He said under an emergency preparedness and response plan, a rapid response teams had been formed to respond urgently to any importations of polio virus.

Nadda said the government had introduced injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine into its routine immunisation programme to provide double protection to children.

“The Ministry will soon introduce Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine that will help to reduce the burden of diarrhoea, pneumonia and meningitis and (launch) a countrywide campaign with Measles-Rubella vaccine in phased manner,” Nadda said.

The WHO on March 27, 2014, declared India along with other countries in the Southeast Asian region “polio-free” after the last polio case was reported from the country on January 13, 2011.

Pakistan has not able to eradicate the virus despite a nationwide campaign that has often come under deadly attacks by militant groups who suspect that international and local health workers were western spies.

(With inputs from agencies)