India along with ten other countries of World Health Organization (WHO) South East Asia Region has been certified Polio-free by the Regional Polio Certification Commission on the 27th March 2014.

To avert the importation risks from neighbouring nations country is maintaining population immunity against poliovirus through following measures: 

·      Observing two National Immunization Days (NID) and two sub national polio immunization rounds (SNID) every year, in addition to polio vaccination through routine immunization.

·      Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) has also been introduced in routine immunization across the country to further boost the population immunity as additional protection against polio.

·      Polio vaccination is being carried out for international travelers travelling from India to 8 identified countries and vice versa. In addition, Polio vaccination carried out for international travelers at land borders of India sharing with neighboring countries.

·      Polio surveillance is maintained in both humans and in the environment to detect any importation of poliovirus as early as possible and respond quickly to mitigate the risk.

 

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Sh Faggan Singh Kulaste stated this in a  written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.

 

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    MV/LK

 

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