Patna: Bill Gates of Bill and Melinda Gates
foundation has congratulated Bihar Chief Minister for the
state having no report of wild polio virus in Bihar during
the past 16 months.
"On the occasion of India being free of polio for one
year, it is truly a pleasure to congratulate you on more than
16 months without a reported case of wild poliovirus in
Bihar", Gates said in a letter to Nitish Kumar which was made
available to the media today.
"When I first visited Bihar`s polio programme in 2010,
I was struck by the sheer scale of the effort and by your
administration`s keen ability to work synergistically with
the World Health Organiszation, UNICEF, Rotary International
and your local polio partners to reach some of the most remote
and high-risk regions in Bihar. Even activities in the Kosi
River region, which undoubtedly present some of the most
challenging conditions faced by the global polio programme,
were robust," he lauded.
"Your personal leadership has been extraordinary and
your administration deserves special credit for this
accomplishment. We hope your example inspires other
governments around the world to strive for similar successes
in this truly global effort", Bill Gates in his letter said.
"As you are aware, it is now more important than ever
to sustain this remarkable progress. Despite the absence of
reported polio cases in Bihar since September 2010, the risk
of wild poliovirus importation through migrant groups and in
high-risk areas continues to be very real. Your continued
personal supervision of polio vaccination and surveillance
efforts is critical and I would urge you to maintain regular
communication with high-risk districts, particularly in the
Kosi region to understand and directly address critical
challenges," he said in his letter to the Chief Minister.
PTI
