India hails polio-free 'milestone'

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-25708715


13 January 2014 Last updated at 11:27 ET
India hails polio-free 'milestone'

India is marking three years since its last reported polio case, a landmark in the global battle against the disease.

It is seen as confirmation of one of India's biggest public health successes, achieved through a massive and sustained immunisation programme.

India's health minister hailed it as a "monumental milestone".

In 2012 the World Health Organisation removed India from the list of polio-endemic countries. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria remain on it...

 

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Re: India hails polio-free 'milestone'

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-25709362


13 January 2014 Last updated at 07:59 ET
How India managed to defeat polio

It is three years since India last reported a case of polio. Patralekha Chatterjee reports on how the country appears to have finally managed to beat the disease.

Despite a healthcare system beset by severe problems, India has ushered in the new year with an achievement to be proud of.

In 2009, India reported 741 polio cases, more than any other country in the world, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The last case was reported from the eastern state of West Bengal in 2011, when an 18-month-old girl was found to have contracted the disease.

The country faced unique challenges in eradicating polio.

Among them was the high population density and birth rate, poor sanitation, widespread diarrhoea, inaccessible terrain and reluctance of a section of the population, notably members of the Muslim community in certain pockets, to accept the polio vaccine...