New Delhi: India's name has been struck off a shame list. The WorldHealth Organization (WHO) has taken the country, which in 2009 had more polio cases (741) than any other nation in the world, off its polio endemic list after not a single case of the crippling disease was reported for over a year.
Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad made the announcement on Saturday at a function where PM Manmohan Singh was also present. Now, only Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan are on the list as India has achieved a hard-fought success after years of sustained effort by the government, international agencies and dedicated medical professionals.
For the next two years, if India does not report any polio cases, it will be officially called "polio free". Azad said, "WHO has taken India's name off the list in view of the remarkable progress that we have made during the past one year. Let us today resolve to make India polio free by 2014."
According to the PM, the real credit for this achievement goes to the 23 lakh volunteers who repeatedly vaccinated children "even in the most remote areas, often in very bad weather conditions. I commend each one of them for their dedication, for their commitment and for their selfless service". Three years ago, India had the highest number of polio cases in the world | |
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