Bernama
The World Health Organisation (WHO) officially certified India free of polio Thursday, making the Southeast Asian region, which included India, the fourth region to be declared free of the disease.
“This achievement makes the Southeast Asia region, the fourth WHO Region to be certified as polio-free, after the Region of the Americas in 1994, the Western Pacific Region in 2000 and the European Region in 2002,” it was announced in a statement.
India’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad received the official certificate at a function in New Delhi. Ghulam stated that India has been polio free since January 2011.
Speaking on the historic occasion on behalf of all Southeast Asian Health Ministers, he expressed happiness and satisfaction at the historic public health achievement which seemed impossible with India having the highest burden of Polio cases in the world.
The Health Minister stated that India embarked on the programme to eradicate the nation of polio 19 years ago in 1995, when the disease used to cripple more than 50,000 children in the country every year.
He noted that this achievement has been possible with resolute will at the highest levels, technological innovations like the indigenous bivalent polio vaccine, adequate domestic financial resources and close monitoring of polio programme, with which immunisation levels soared to 99 per cent coverage and India achieved polio eradication.
The unbelievable operational feat has been possible due to the tireless efforts of over a million Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) who gave a new momentum to polio rounds, he said.
A 2.3 million strong team of polio volunteers and 150,000 supervisors worked day and night to reach every child.
The Health Minister also expressed gratitude towards WHO, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, Rotary International, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others stakeholders, including the parents of the children, for their strong technical and operational support to this collective effort in this region.
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WHO Certifies India As Polio Free
