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NEWS: Fiona Fleck WHO relaunches polio campaign BMJ 2003; 327: 466-b [Full text]

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Relieved at plans to relaunch the polio campaign

Allen B Kharbteng   (29 August 2003)

Relieved at plans to relaunch the polio campaign 29 August 2003
Allen B Kharbteng, Senior house officer Brookside family consultation clinic,douglas house,18 trumpington road, cambridge, CB2 2AH Send response to journal: Re: Relieved at plans to relaunch the polio campaign	I was a medical officer with The India Population project VIII, based in New Delhi (1998-2000). I was involved with the Pulse Polio initiative at the grass root level and this included immunisation and surveilance for cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis. My health centre covered a population of approximately 50,000 slum dwellers while the entire project covered about 1.2 million slum dwellers in Delhi. Many of these areas were categorised as high risk. One of the main thrusts of the project was reproductive and child health, of which immunisation was a main arm. The pulse Polio initiative was a boost to immunisation in general through the publicity generated and the provision of extra resources. The rates of Polio in Delhi decreased each year but Polio was never eradicated due to the mass movement of populations from endemic areas. However these outbreaks became more or less confined to a few high risk areas usually in the slums. We carried out mop-up initiatives in these areas. With various strategies employed the rates of new outbreaks were brought down significantly. On leaving The India Populatio Project VIII in November 2000 for further studies I felt that it was a shame that having come so close to the target of eradication the global initiative was being downscaled. It is a relief to know that a fresh round is about to begin. Competing interests:   None declared