President Patil launches 2011 ‘Pulse Polio’ campaign
January 22nd, 2011 - 8:51 pm ICT by ANINew Delhi, Jan 22(ANI): President India Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Saturday administered polio vaccine drops to seven children at the Rashtrapati Bhawan to launch the National Pulse Polio Programme for 2011.
The President had introduced the bivalent oral polio vaccine in the National Immunization Programme for the first time in January 2010.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad stated that ‘Polio Free India’ is now an achievable goal.
The last six months have seen the lowest number of polio cases during the high transmission season of any year since polio eradication efforts were started in India.
Only 42 polio cases have been detected in 2010 (as on January 3, 2011) compared to 741 cases of polio in 2009.
The number of affected districts has declined to 17 in 2010 from 56 in 2009 and 90 in 2008.
Uttar Pradesh has reported 10 polio cases in 2010 as compared to 602 cases last year.
Uttar Pradesh has not reported any polio case since April 2010.
The Minister informed that during this countrywide polio campaign starting tomorrow, around 174 million children of less than five years of age will be given polio drops as a part of the Union Government’s drive to eradicate polio.
Azad elaborated that six polio campaigns will be conducted in the high-risk states/areas between March and November 2011.
The high-risk areas that will be covered include parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
“A rapid response task force is being constituted to plan and conduct aggressive mopping up vaccination in response to any poliovirus that is detected anywhere in the country henceforth so that all chains of polio transmission are finally broken,” Azad said. (ANI)
- Polio cases drop significantly, new campaign launched - Jan 22, 2011
- A year of no polio: India triumphs, but risks remains (Lead) - Jan 11, 2012
- A year of no polio: India triumphs, but risks remains - Jan 11, 2012
- Polio under control but India aims at eradication: Azad - Oct 23, 2011
- WHO lauds India's year without polio (Lead) - Jan 13, 2012
- Health minister Azad hopeful yet vigilant on polio - Jan 12, 2012
- India to support global polio eradication: Azad - Feb 26, 2012
- WHO commends India's polio free year - Jan 13, 2012
- Over 17 crore kids get polio vaccine - Feb 19, 2012
- Till mid-April, India has 19 fresh cases of polio - Apr 23, 2010
- India committed to eradicate polio: Azad - Sep 24, 2011
- Hopeful yet vigilant India marks a year without polio - Jan 13, 2012
- WHO finds polio virus in Delhi sewage - Feb 15, 2011
- 2011 crucial for India to eradicate polio: WHO - Oct 24, 2011
- Community mobilisers inch closer towards making India polio-free - Jan 31, 2011
Tags: achievable goal, eradication efforts, free india, ghulam nabi azad, health minister, national immunization, oral polio vaccine, polio, polio campaign, polio cases, polio eradication, poliovirus, pratibha devisingh patil, pulse polio, rashtrapati bhawan, response task force, risk areas, union government, uttarakhand, west bengal