India very close to being declared 'Polio-free'

In the late 80s India had over two lakh polio cases in a single year. The response to the Pulse polio campaign which started in 1994 has been tremendous and in 2011 India didn't have one single polio case. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate a two-day Polio Summit 2012 in the capital on February 25. Organized jointly by the health ministry and Rotary International to commemorate the achievement and to focus on the risks and the way forward so that it can be completely eradicated from the country.

"We have proved wrong all the predictions that said India will be the last country to get rid of polio. In the light of this background, the achievement has been impressive," said Anuradha Gupta, additional secretary, Ministry of Health.

This is no mean feat considering that in 2005 the only two places where polio wasn't eradicated were the Indian subcontinent and Nigeria. Polio was completely eradicated in the Americas by 1991, in Europe by 1998 and in 2011 only 44 cases were reported worldwide in 2011 mostly from Pakistan.

"But the war is not yet over; we need to continue our momentum for the next two years to be declared a polio-free country. The Summit isn't only to celebrate our achievement but to take stock of the challenges ahead," she added.

Source: IANS

The WHO reported that in 2011 India had its first polio-free year and is therefore no longer considered polio-endemic.