India records sharp decline in polio cases

New Delhi: In a positive sign for the fight against polio, India has recorded a significant drop in the number of cases of the debilitating disease this year.

The number of cases of type-1 polio is only 16 this year as compared to 51 last year, while type-3 cases stand at 23 against last year’s 343, the latest World Health Organisation data show.

The WHO has attributed this drop to effective surveillance of migrant population and vaccination drive.

Only 39 cases have been reported so far this year as against 395 at the same time (September) last year.

For the first time, Uttar Pradesh has not reported even a single case of type-1 polio so far. The only hurdle so far is the inability to break transmission of type-1 polio in the country despite reducing it to a very low level.