India has not had a case of polio in nine months, raising hopes the country is on the verge of defeating the debilitating disease, health officials said Monday.
India remains one of only four countries in the world where polio is still endemic, but the period without a case marks the longest the country has been polio free since eradication efforts were launched here nearly two decades ago.
"We are close to our goal, but are not taking any chances," said Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The last new case was reported in January in West Bengal state and no cases have been reported in the traditional polio reservoirs of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states in more than a year, he said.
India's success has followed "persistent efforts over the last few years in the highest risk areas and in reaching the most vulnerable populations, such as newborns, migrants and mobile populations," said Azad.
A sustained immunization campaign continues in all high risk areas and any fresh case of the virus would be declared a public health emergency, he said.
Health officials remain concerned about the possibility of the virus slipping back into the country from neighboring Pakistan, another polio-endemic country, where a spate of cases have been reported.
Health authorities have set up polio immunization booths at the two border crossings with Pakistan and all children who enter by road and train are being administered a vaccine.
Polio is also endemic in Nigeria and Afghanistan.
Uttar Pradesh, the epicenter of almost all polio virus outbreaks in India, has not reported a case of the disease since April 2010, while the neighboring state of Bihar has not reported a case since September 2010, according to UNICEF.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/science/article_4926b418-91eb-5c22-841b-5741d05e7156.html#ixzz1bgzFKpgZ
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