The
Global Eradication of Polio
- A World Without Polio -
POLIO
ERADICATION IN INDIA AND THE
NATIONAL POLIO SURVEILLANCE PROJECT
The
goal of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is to ensure
that no child will ever again know the crippling effects
of polio. Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by
a virus poliovirus. It invades the nervous system and can
cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. It can strike
at any age, but affects mainly children under three. Polio
is mainly passed through person-to-person (i.e., fecal-oral)
contact, and infects persons who do not have immunity against
the disease. There is no cure for polio, but the disease
can be prevented by immunization with polio vaccine. Oral
polio vaccine (OPV) was developed in 1961 by Dr Albert Sabin;
OPV is a highly effective, safe and inexpensive vaccine,
and has been used in all countries of the world to achieve
polio eradication
Along
with all 192 member nations of the World Health Organization,
the Government of India in 1988 committed the nation to
the goal of global polio eradication. Since 1995, the Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has been
conducting intensive immunization and surveillance activities
aimed at the complete elimination of poliovirus and paralytic
polio. The National Polio Surveillance
Project, which was launched in 1997, provides technical
and logistic assistance to the GoI, and works closely with
state governments and a broad array of partner agencies
to achieve the goal of polio eradication in India.
