New Hope in the Fight to Eradicate Polio
http://www.globalpost.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/gp3_slideshow_large/pakistan-polio-vaccine-2013-1-24.jpg
This article heralds the good news that polio has been eradicated in India! It has been three years since the last case of polio in India, which was January 13, 2011 and the only case of polio in India that year. Although they have not yet received their official certification, it will be coming soon: 'Menabde said the WHO would officially declare India as polio-free by the end of March, when the legal process for certification was completed'.
This is an enormous milestone in epidemiological history because it is so hard to eradicate disease in India due to its large and very mobile population, high levels of poverty in areas, and many citizens living in remote regions.
In recent years the Indian government has made an enormous effort into vaccinating their citizens; immunizing over 170,000 children every year and spending $2.5 billion since 1995. Clearly their efforts have paid off with 741 cases in 2009, 42 in 2010, one in 2011, and none since then.
This article reminded me of the campaign to eradicate smallpox in India because they used similar techniques to target the mobile citizens of India: for example, vaccination booths were set up at bus stations, just like they were set up at train stations during the campaign to eradicate smallpox.
I am very happy to be able to post an article which sends a message of hope to the world, because so often do we hear negative stories in the mainstream media about various diseases, it is good that we can see progress and success in the field of disease prevention. It is even better to know that fewer people will suffer the horrors of polio, which is fast acting and can cause crippling effects in its victims in under 24 hours. It is good to know that we are one step closer to the global eradication of polio.
Link to original article:
India Soon to be Polio Free, Boosting Global Immunization Efforts, Reuters, Jan. 13th 2013
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/01/13/india-soon-to-be-polio-free-boosting-global-immunization-efforts/
Jessica, I'm so glad you chose this article to write about. It is truly wonderful news that India has succeeded in eradicating polio. The steep decrease in the number of polio cases from 2009 to 2010 was particularly impressive and shows that the Indian government's efforts were not in vain. There was discouraging news about the continuance of polio cases popping up in the Middle East, but to hear that such a populous and mobile population as India can eradicate polio gives us hope that their success will be repeated around the world, and that soon polio will be joining smallpox as a completely eradicated disease.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this article Jessica! Personally, I had no idea India was even in the works of trying to eradicate/ putting so much money towards the eradication of polio. You mentioned an interesting fact, about how it is and was so hard for India to eradicate diseases, so this eradication of polio is a major step forward for India's population.
ReplyDeleteI am very excited to hear that Polio has been eradicated in India! It reminded me of our class' smallpox unit and how it was also eradicated. Just like smallpox, more people in India started to get immunized, lowered the total number of annual cases. I wonder how long it will take before polio is eradicated around the world. Hopefully soon we will hear of more diseases being eradicated!
ReplyDelete