January 19, 2002

    January 20, 2002 will be observed as a nation-wide Pulse Polio Immunization Day. On that day about 16 crore children under the age of five will be administered polio vaccine through nearly 30 lakh volunteers at 6.5 lakh booths all over the country. A similar round of immunization was held on December 2, 2001.

    India has made rapid and dramatic progress in its war against polio. Compared to 1934 polio cases in the year 1998, only 239 cases have been reported last year. Moreover, only 61 districts out of nearly 600 districts have reported a polio case, and 24 out of 35 States/UTs have remained polio-free in the year 2001. The country hopes to eradicate Polio by the end of 2002.

    Today, global attention is focussed on India, as it is one of the few remaining countries with persistent polio virus circulation. Interruption of polio transmission in India is crucial for the world to attain the global target of a polio-free world by the year 2005.