India polio-free for third straight year

Monday, January 13, 2014

India has a reason to smile. On Monday, it completes three years without reporting any case of polio.

It is only the second time in the history that a disease is being eliminated in India through immunisation after small pox in May 1980.

However, officially the World Health Organisation (WHO) will certify India as polio-free on February 11 after the last of random samples picked up would be tested.

India’s being declared polio-free is particularly important because it was the only country in the South East Asian region with polio cases.

Source: The Hindu (link opens in a new window)

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Health Care
Tags
infectious diseases, vaccines