Intensified Pulse Polio campaign from Jan 19 in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Though there is no detection of polio case since 2008 in Odisha, the state government has decided to launch an Intensified Pulse Polio Immunization Campaign from January 19.

As many as 45.2 lakh children of Odisha would be given two drops of pulse polio on Sunday, a release by the department of health and family welfare said.

From 1,50,000 cases in 1978, polio cases have declined to 866 in 2007, 624 in 2009 and only 1 case in 2011 in the country. Since then India has been free of WPV transmission from any source.

This is a monumental milestone which paves the way for certification of India along with 11 countries of Southeast Asia region of WHO, the release said.

"Despite this historic progress, the risk of polio persists in our country in view of the continuous polio virus transmission in neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, and other countries like Nigeria," it said.

Therefore, improving population immunity by strengthening routine immunisation and ensuring all eligible children get the additional polio drops during the Pulse Polio campaigns is the need of the hour, the release said.