Port Blair, Mar. 1: India has remained free of wild polio cases since January 2011 and India’s unprecedented progress against polio has led to the certification of South East region including India by WHO in March 2014 as polio-free. Recently 25 years of Pulse Polio Immunization in India was celebrated. India remains at high risk of importation till the whole world is free of the wild polio virus. As per the recommendations of the India Expert Advisory Group (IEGA), one Single Polio National Immunization Day (NID) is to be conducted on 3rd March 2024, covering all the children in the age group of 0-5 years of age by administering two drops of bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) at Booths followed by house to house visits by the staffs in the next two days to search and vaccinate the missed out /unimmunised children.

The Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) samples are being sent under the National Polio Surveillance Project, which is a collaborative project of Govt. of India and the World Health Organization. The goal is to ensure that no child will ever again suffer from the crippling effects of polio in the entire world.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. It can strike at any stage but affects mainly children under three. Polio is mainly passed through person-to-person (i.e. Feco-Oral) contact, and infects persons who do not have immunity against the diseases. There is no cure for polio, but the disease can be prevented by immunisation with polio vaccine. Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) was developed in 1961 by Dr. Albert Sabin, OPV is a highly effective, safe and inexpensive vaccine, and has been used in all countries of the world to achieve polio eradication.

This year it is estimated that around 21778 children will receive vaccine during the round in 534 booths across these Islands. A booth in the airport, Seaport and other transit points has also been set up.

All tourists and people living in forest areas will also be covered under this program. The target is to cover 100% of eligible children. General public have been requested to bring their children to the booth for polio drops on 3rd March, 2024.