Mumbai: Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have
registered a turn-around in polio incidence, with not a single
Wild Polio Virus Type III case reported in the last one year,
say a body of scientists.
Uttar Pradesh has also not reported any case of Wild
Polio Virus Type I for the past 15 months.
Bihar has not reported any case of Wild Polio Virus Type
III for the last 15 months, and of Type I since September
2010.
"So Both the states have done exceedingly well towards
polio eradication," scientists at the Enterovirus Research
Centre (EVRC) of Indian Council for Medical Research here
said.
But the country has to remain cautious in the lead-up to
the high transmission season during the monsoon, said Deepak
Kapur, Chairman, India National Polioplus Committee of Rotary
International.
"We have reached the best situation in the eradication of
poliomyelitis programme and it is important to be cautiously
optimistic and mobilise community information and education
programme from house to house in order to move towards a polio
free country," he said.
Kapur said that UP, Bihar, Maharashtra and West Bengal
were still at risk.
It was also essential to maintain the current high
immunity levels in UP and Bihar, the EVRC scientists said.
PTI
