October 24 is observed as World Polio Day every year. The day is observed in order to make countries to stay focused and vigilant to fight against Polio. According to WHO, the cases of wild poliovirus have decreased by over 99.9% as a result of vaccination efforts made around the world,since 1980.
History
World Polio Day was established over a decade ago by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against the disease.In the last three decades, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), led by national governments and the WHO, has been monitoring the disease situation globally.
Polio in India
India was declared polio-free in 2014, after three years of zero cases, an achievement widely believed to have been spurred by the successful pulse polio campaign in which all children were administered polio drops. The last case due to wild poliovirus in the country was detected on January 13, 2011.
Polio affected countries.
- In 2019, polio outbreaks were recorded in the Philippines, Malaysia, Ghana, Myanmar, China, Cameroon, Indonesia and Iran.
- Afghanistan and Pakistan are the two countries that are the last stronghold of the wild poliovirus.
- In Pakistan, the number of reported wild poliovirus cases has increased in 2020.
- The African Region was certified as wild poliovirus free, on 25 August 2020.
Polio ?
“Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly disease that affects the nervous system. Because the virus lives in the faeces of an infected person, people infected with the disease can spread it to others. Polio effected people do not feel sick. Some people have only minor symptoms, such as fever, tiredness, nausea, headache, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, stiffness in the neck and back, and pain in the arms and legs.
