In 2009 India reported 741 poliomyelitis (polio) infections, almost half of the world’s 1,604 cases. Five years on and the country’s health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has declared the disease eradicated. The last case was recorded on 13 January 2011.

“India was once considered the most difficult place in the world to eradicate polio,” said Sona Bari from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. “This was due to a unique combination of a dense and high population, high diarrhoea rates and high migration levels.”

In order to tackle the disease – which is spread through contaminated food and water, and can cause permanent paralysis – India carried out an extensive eradication programme which included measures such as migration point immunisation camps and the involvement of religious leaders to raise awareness of the issue.

The eradication of polio in India marks a significant step towards a polio-free Southeast Asia, which is expected to be officially announced later this year by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Certification Commission.

 http://positivenews.org.uk/2014/wellbeing/health/14635/india-declared-polio-free/