Bihar Records Two Years Without Polio Cases

The Bihar government's commitment supported by development partners in the polio eradication program has helped the state to remain polio-free for over two years, a health official said. Bihar Health Secretary and Executive Director of Bihar State Health Society Sanjay Kumar said Bihar has been focusing on 41 polio high risk blocks, which have persistently reported polio cases in the past.

"Promoting sanitation and hygiene, routine immunization, exclusive breastfeeding and diarrhea management are some of the planned efforts to holistically address polio associated risk factors in the state", Sanjay Kumar said at a media interaction organized by UNICEF here.

"This progress follows strategic and intense efforts for polio eradication focussing on hard-to-reach areas along the Kosi river in central Bihar and to improve the quality of immunization rounds and awareness," Sanjay Kumar said.

"The program continues to focus on the migrant and the mobile populations in brick kilns, construction workers and nomads as most polio cases in the past have been reported among them. With children -- especially newborns -- at the highest risk of getting polio, vaccinators track and immunize them at least eight times a year," Sanjay Kumar said.

Of the 17,964,847 children checked for polio till date, 4,834,138 have been vaccinated by around 95,000 vaccinators.

Source-IANS