Great job India!! especially Doctors working for public health..
Based on accounts by both my Sister and Brother-in-law who works for UP Government Public Health Org (don't remember the official name of the agency), their hard work and persistent efforts are finally paying off... I still remember that they used to go to remote villages to find and get kids vaccinated.. many times during weekend and once even on one of the major festival..
It will be shame that even in Twenty First Century we keep getting these kind of deseases.. despite all of our progress in other areas, if we can't secure future of our kids, it would be shame..
But here we are and hopefully we won't be hearing any more bad news on this issue... I am sure there may be many more small but critical issues like this (Malaria/Dengue etc..) which needs to be eradicated from the face of earth or at least India to begin with.. but for now we do need to celebrate this event and hope that it won't lapse..
Cheers!!!!
Here is full news clip from our local Mercury News:
India winning its battle with polio
Full year has passed since last new case, but the risk remains
By Mark Magnier
Los Angeles Times
NEW DELHI — India has gone a full year without recording a new case of polio, a significant benchmark for the South Asian nation and an encouraging development for health professionals fighting to eradicate the stubborn disease worldwide. But experts warned that premature declarations of victory could lead to complacency among Indian parents, who might stop immunizing their children. That would increase the risk of another outbreak, particularly in a nation where about 26 million babies are born each year. India will not be officially certified as polio-free until at least three years have passed without a new case. “It’s an incredible milestone for polio eradication,” said Rod Curtis, of UNICEF. “But complacency is perhaps the biggest threat to the program today. You could get down to the last three children in the world, but unless you (immunize) those kids, it could explode again.”
The last Indian victim, 2year-old Ruksana Khatun, fell ill near Kolkata in West Bengal on Jan. 13, 2011.
Though no new cases were reported since, health agencies still need to process both January data on nationwide paralysis cases and environmental sewage test results over the next few weeks to confirm it has been a poliofree year.
India also is located in a bad polio neighborhood. Two of three other countries in the world where the disease is endemic — Pakistan and Afghanistan — are neighbors (the third is Nigeria). China on its northern border was reinfected in 2011.
Based on accounts by both my Sister and Brother-in-law who works for UP Government Public Health Org (don't remember the official name of the agency), their hard work and persistent efforts are finally paying off... I still remember that they used to go to remote villages to find and get kids vaccinated.. many times during weekend and once even on one of the major festival..
It will be shame that even in Twenty First Century we keep getting these kind of deseases.. despite all of our progress in other areas, if we can't secure future of our kids, it would be shame..
But here we are and hopefully we won't be hearing any more bad news on this issue... I am sure there may be many more small but critical issues like this (Malaria/Dengue etc..) which needs to be eradicated from the face of earth or at least India to begin with.. but for now we do need to celebrate this event and hope that it won't lapse..
Cheers!!!!
Here is full news clip from our local Mercury News:
India winning its battle with polio
Full year has passed since last new case, but the risk remains
By Mark Magnier
Los Angeles Times
NEW DELHI — India has gone a full year without recording a new case of polio, a significant benchmark for the South Asian nation and an encouraging development for health professionals fighting to eradicate the stubborn disease worldwide. But experts warned that premature declarations of victory could lead to complacency among Indian parents, who might stop immunizing their children. That would increase the risk of another outbreak, particularly in a nation where about 26 million babies are born each year. India will not be officially certified as polio-free until at least three years have passed without a new case. “It’s an incredible milestone for polio eradication,” said Rod Curtis, of UNICEF. “But complacency is perhaps the biggest threat to the program today. You could get down to the last three children in the world, but unless you (immunize) those kids, it could explode again.”
The last Indian victim, 2year-old Ruksana Khatun, fell ill near Kolkata in West Bengal on Jan. 13, 2011.
Though no new cases were reported since, health agencies still need to process both January data on nationwide paralysis cases and environmental sewage test results over the next few weeks to confirm it has been a poliofree year.
India also is located in a bad polio neighborhood. Two of three other countries in the world where the disease is endemic — Pakistan and Afghanistan — are neighbors (the third is Nigeria). China on its northern border was reinfected in 2011.
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