Although India and 10 other Asian countries have been declared polio-free countries of the world by World Health Organisation (WHO) which means that the disease has been eradicated in 80 per cent of the world, but the State Health Department has issued an advisory urging residents to administer OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine) to their infants, if they plan to visit seven countries mainly from Asia and Africa continentals of the country.
Among those nations that are chosen by the department includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya, Syria and Ethiopia. The Department is also stressing to administer polio drops to infants, once they arrive from seven selected nations in the near future. Poor sanitation, mass internal migration and dilapidated public health system etc. in these nations has turned cause of concern for the department as the virus can turn hostile in India again, if the infants were not administered OPV drops before and after visit from these selected seven countries.
Officials stressed on administering OPV drops to infants alteast one month before visit to these nations in order to keep infants virus-free form the disease. Medicos told that until polio is globally eradicated, all countries are at risk, and the region's polio-free status remains fragile.
The polio vaccination centres have been set up at District Female Hospitals at Almora, Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, and PPC Gopeshwar Chamoli, CHC Champawat, Combined Hospital, Kotdwar Pauri, District Hospitals Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar and Bauradi, Tehri and lD Bhatt hospital, Udham Singh Nagar.
In an exclusive interaction with The Pioneer, Director General (Medical, Health and Family Welfare) Dr GS Joshi said hard work of medicos and para-medical staff finally pays as Uttarakhand and nation has been conferred with polio-free nation by the WHO, few days back. He told that one each polio vaccination centres have been set up at the district hospitals and health centres by the department for administering polio vaccines to infants in the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions of Uttarakhand. Dr Joshi highlighted that this is a momentous victory for the millions of health workers who have worked with Governments, non-governmental organisations, civil society and international partners to eradicate polio from the State and country as well.
It is noteworthy that WHO has certified the south-east Asian region which includes India but excludes Afghanistan and Pakistan polio-free after three years without a single new case being reported. There are only three countries where polio is still endemic which are Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. However, isolated outbreaks in the Horn of Africa and war-torn Syria emerged as causes for concern.