India bids to keep polio threat at bay

On January 13 this year India made a landmark achievement — it completed three years of not recording any new case of the debilitating infection polio. However, being surrounded by countries which are yet to mark this feat comes with the danger of the virus coming back into the country.

The Indian Government is now taking no chances and has made it mandatory for travellers from seven countries — Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Syria, Kenya, Somalia, Nigeria and Pakistan — to take oral polio vaccine to decrease the chances of the virus from penetrating national boundary again.

All the travellers coming from these “polio-affected” countries, as well as Indian citizen going to these nations will need to take the vaccine at least six weeks before the travel date, an official statement from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. This new regime would come into effect from March 1.

India is expected to be declared as “polio-free” by the United Nations body, World Health Organisation, by March end.

According to the WHO, as of 2013, only three countries — Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan — remain polio-endemic. However, since two of these countries are India's neighbours the threat of the virus entering India, through migration remains strong.

“Years of efforts and huge financial resources have been invested by India for stopping polio in India. We cannot risk importation of polio virus, which is getting bigger and bigger with the recent outbreaks in the Middle East and earlier in the horn of Africa region. This new preventive measure has been initiated as per the recommendations of the national and international expert bodies and the guidelines of the WHO” said Anuradha Gupta, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The threat of polio re-infection, which the Government is attempting to shield the country against, is real. In 2013 itself, it is estimated that six countries, which had earlier achieved “polio-free” status have been re-infected, the Ministry said.

Earlier reports in this year also suggest that US, after remaining polio-free for about 35 years, could possibly be seeing a fresh outbreak of the disease after some children were identified with polio-like symptoms in the country.

“In view of the persisting threat of polio virus importation, the Independent Monitoring Board of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, recommended in its October 2013 report that the International Health Regulations (IHR) should be used to ensure all people travelling from polio-endemic country are required to have vaccination prior to travel, and this should be extended to any persistently affected country.” the Ministry statement said.

The Government's move was also welcomed by the WHO.

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