Government machinery geared for emergency response to eradicate Polio



By Vikas Vaidya


This is one success story that involves collective participation which in India is taken with a pinch of salt, where focus always is on individual success. But as country prepares to banish polio from its front, one cannot but applaud the work of government machinery, NGOs, health volunteers and individuals.
Now as official figures reveal, there is just a single case of polio reported in country during the current year. However last year situation seemed worst after almost 39 cases surfaced, giving a jolt to all those who are working in tandem to give boot to polio. Though crestfallen, all worked with renewed vigour, changed profile, as mentioned below, and success is for all to savour. The efforts that went into implementation of drive against polio are now showing results.
No case of type 3 polio has come up for over a year. Closest ever to eradicating polio, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has decided to treat any fresh case of polio as a “public health emergency” in order to achieve polio eradication from India at the earliest.
In context of World Polio Day, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad noted that while the progress this year is remarkable, the risk still persists. While talking to The Hitavada Azad said, “We are close to our goal but are not taking any chances. Efforts will be further intensified in the country to stop any residual poliovirus circulation and also to prevent any polio cases following an international importation,”
India’s progress and efforts have been lauded by both national and international experts and bodies. The India Expert Advisory Group on Polio Eradication, which reviewed the programme in July mentioned that India is on track to eradicate polio. The International Monitoring Board (IMB) of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in its October report has said that India is on track to interrupt transmission in 2011.
Dr Suresh Gupta, Additional Director of Family Welfare said, “We monitor polio related cases. Whenever there is a case of acute weakness of muscles, we check whether it is a case of polio myelitiff and then treat. We can say Polio is eradicated completely if not a single case is reported till three years.”
“Polio drops drive being conducted once in a year. Apart from that, the tablets of Vitamin A and Deworming are distributed twice in the year through Anganwadi. If a case of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) is detected then children upto the age of five years in 200 houses in that locality are given polio drops. We are taking utmost care to eradicate polio, said, Dr Savita Meshram, Deputy Director, Health Services of Nagpur Municipal Corporation.

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Polio man Dr Rajan

Dr  K S Rajan, noted Orthopaedic Surgeon is conducting polio surgeries free of cost since 1990. Till now he has performed over 500 such surgeries through which he has corrected deformities in such children who were crawling but now they can walk on  calipers. Dr Rajan said, “First polio camp organised at Sakoli, Bhandara. First I used to perform at  IGGMCH, GMCH along with Rotary Club. In 2001, with six orthopaedic surgerons from Vidarbha we went to Bihar, Jharkhand and UP and performed surgeries. We also successful in convincing them about the importance of polio vaccine. I gor regional service award from Rotary which  only three people received till now.”

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