Admin
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Admin | Updated : August 6, 2013 11:58 AM IST
Two weeks after WHO took India off the polio-endemic list it seems that the disease is back in the country. An 18 month old female child was admitted to a state hospital in Kolkata with suspected polio on Monday. The child hails from Indrabala village in South 24 Parganas district. The child showed symptoms of partial paralysis with movement disability. The child's stool samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune and School of Tropical Medicine in Kolkata for confirmatory tests. The reports are expected next week. According to insiders, in medical parlance the symptoms are called acute flaccid paralysis.
According to her mother several babies in their locality are suffering from similar symptoms. The authorities have decided to launch an intensive surveillance programme in the village.
The last polio case in the country was detected in January last year when a two-year-old girl from Howrah district was afflicted with the virus. There were no reports of other polio cases in the country in the following 12 months, and India was declared polio-free by the World Health Organization. It is known that child had been administered polio vaccines more than once. If the child really has polio, then it will raise serious questions about the efficiency of the pulse polio campaign which has been deemed successful till now.
