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NEWS: Fiona Fleck WHO warns of a polio epidemic in Africa BMJ 2004; 328: 1513 [Full text]

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Myths creating Obstcles in Polio Elimination in India

Umesh Kapil   (28 June 2004)

Myths creating Obstcles in Polio Elimination in India 28 June 2004
Umesh Kapil, Professor Department of Human Nutrition, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India Send response to journal: Re: Myths creating Obstcles in Polio Elimination in India	Dear Sir, In India, also the few regions dominated by Muslim population like in Nigeria are facing similar problem in achieving the Universal coverage of children during Pulse Polio Immunization (PPI) rounds because of myth that immunization may cause sterility. The messages from leading public personalities of Muslim community in the field of Sports, Science, Religion, Films are being telecasted and printed in mass media before the PPI rounds to dispel the doubts. This has made a positive dent on the mindsets of Muslim community and thereby improve the immunization coverage. However , a gradual fatigue in the system responsible for Pulse Polio Immunization is setting in as country is implementing PPIs continuously for last 10 years and each year 4 to 5 rounds of PPI are being undertaken. If country is unable to achieve zero polio cases in near future then elimination of polio may be a distant dream. Dr. Umesh Kapil MD, DNB, FAMS ,FIPHA,FIAPSM Professor Public Health Nutrition Department of Human Nutrition, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110 029, INDIA kapilumesh@hotmail.com Competing interests: None declared