Source: NIE
Context: India has been placed on high alert after a rise in polio cases in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the only two remaining endemic countries.
About Polio:
What it is?
- Polio (Poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects the nervous system, leading to paralysis or even death in severe cases.
- The disease mainly targets children under 5 years of age, but unvaccinated individuals of any age remain at risk.
Vector and Transmission:
- The poliovirus spreads mainly through the faecal-oral route, i.e., via contaminated food or water, and multiplies in the intestine.
- It can also spread person-to-person, particularly in areas with poor sanitation and hygiene.
Symptoms:
- Early symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck, and pain in the limbs.
- 1 in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (often in the legs), and 5–10% of those paralysed die due to immobilisation of breathing muscles.
Treatment and Prevention:
- There is no cure for polio — it can only be prevented through vaccination.
- Two types of vaccines are used:
- Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV): Easy to administer; provides intestinal immunity.
- Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV): Injectable form; provides systemic protection.
- Multiple doses ensure lifelong immunity.
India and Polio Eradication:
- Last case reported: January 13, 2011 (West Bengal).
- Polio-free certification: Granted by WHO in 2014, after three years without any new cases.
- Achieved through Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme, Mission Indradhanush, and Intensified Mission Indradhanush, supported by strong surveillance systems.
WHO and Global Initiatives:
- The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was launched in 1988, reducing cases by over 99%, from 350,000 cases in 125 countries to fewer than 50 today.
- Polio-free regions: Americas (1994), Western Pacific (2000), Europe (2002), South-East Asia (2014), and Africa (2020).
- Ongoing WHO surveillance and emergency response continue to target Afghanistan and Pakistan, the only countries with endemic wild poliovirus.
