Mumbai polio free for 2nd year running

Announcing that Mumbai has been declared polio-free for the second consecutive year, Enterovirus Research Centre of Indian Council of Medical Research (ERC-ICMR) has said here with the cooperation of parents, health workers and non governmental organisations (NGOs), polio would soon be eradicated from the country.

In 2005 and till February 2006, no case of polio has been found in Mumbai and the cases have come down to zero in 2003 while in 2004 one case was detected, said Dr J M Deshpande, director, ERC-ICMR, on the occasion of supplementary dose polio-week which began on Sunday.

However, in 2005, wild virus of polio was detected in sewage samples in January, August, November and December and in 2006 in the month of January, he added. "We are very close to achieving polio eradication.

Negligence at this stage can nullify the enormous efforts made so far," said Deshpande, adding, that it is therefore absolutely necessary that all children below 5 years to receive polio vaccination during each campaign.

Poliovirus is transmitted through contaminated waste (faecal-oral route). The ERC-ICMR located at parel in Central Mumbai has been monitoring presence of wild Poliovirus in sewage samples in large slum areas in Mumbai since 2001. The polio programme conducts vaccination campaigns on the basis of these reports, he said.

During 1980s, Mumbai alone reported 700-800 cases of polio each year. Success of the polio program in Mumbai can be noted from the fact that the last case of polio in Mumbai was reported in may 2004.