India has been certified Polio free by the Regional Polio Certification Commission on the 27th March 2014.

Last case of Wild poliovirus in the country was reported on 13th January, 2011 from Howrah, West Bengal and no wild poliovirus case have been reported thereafter from any State/UT of the country

To maintain the polio-free status of the country, government is taking following measures:  

• Population immunity against polio is being maintained by observing polio campaigns every year. In the year 2018, two National Immunization Days (NID) have been conducted and two sub- national polio immunization rounds (SNID) are planned, in addition to polio vaccination through routine immunization. Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) has also been introduced across the country to further boost the population immunity as additional protection against polio.
• Vaccination to international travellers to and from 8 other countries and continuous vaccination at the international borders of India are being carried out throughout the year to mitigate risk of importation.
• Sensitivity of polio surveillance is maintained through Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance in human and environment surveillance to detect any polio threat as early as possible and respond quickly to mitigate the risk of circulation.

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

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MV/SK