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India has been observing pulse polio immunization campaign from 1995 for eradication of poliovirus from this country and achieved tremendous success in controlling the spread of the virus in most parts of the country. This was stated by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss at a Ministerial Meeting for Asian Endemic countries today at Geneva. He said as against 1600 polio cases in 2002, 225 cases were detected during 2003 and in 2004 till date only 132 cases of polio have been confirmed.
He further stated that the only challenge today is that each child below 5 years of age is given Oral Polio Vaccine during the supplementary immunization rounds during 2005. The poliovirus transmission situation and the implementation of the programme are reviewed from time to time by Indian Expert Advisory Group (IEAG) and the Government has been implementing its recommendations. In accordance with IEAG recommendations, high-risk districts in the country have been identified for better implementation of the programme. All major transit points have been covered to ensure that no child misses vaccination, he added.
The Minister appreciated the technical support received from the WHO and UNICEF and looked forward to work more closely with development partners to achieve the goal for eradication of polio from our country.
NVN/MK.
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