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22/08/2010
India reports 29 polio cases this year
New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) As many as 29 polio cases have been reported this year with Uttar Pradesh once again topping the list with 10 cases of the debilitating disease, the Lok Sabha was informed Friday.
In a written reply, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said 29 polio cases have been reported in the country till Aug 13.
Besides Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal have reported six cases each, he said.
The other states are - Jharkhand (3), Maharashtra (2), Punjab (1) and Jammu and Kashmir (1).
However, the minister said that during the corresponding period last year, 206 cases had been reported - indicating that the infectious disease has shown a decline this year.
Azad said UNICEF supports the government in strategic communication, social mobilisation and procurement of vaccines for the programme.
He added that the World Health Organisation funds the National Polio Surveillance Project under which support is provided for surveillance of Acute Flaccid Paralysis, technical assistance to eight laboratories, and planning and monitoring of routine and supplementary polio immunisation activities.
A multi-pronged approach has been developed to address the challenges in 107 high risk blocks in western Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the hub of all polio cases in the country, he said.
The approach includes improvement in sanitation, availability of clean water, hygienic practices and prevention and control of diarrhoea in addition to high quality polio rounds.
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