Protect your child from polio
What is polio?
Polio or Poliomyelitis is an acute, viral, infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route. It is also known as infantile paralysis which cripples and paralyses young children. The polio virus was first discovered in the early 20th century. It had been regarded as a dreaded childhood disease all across the world before the discovery of polio vaccine in the 1950s.
Key facts about polio
– Polio (poliomyelitis) mainly affects children under five years of age.
– One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis. Among those paralysed, 5% to 10% die.
– Polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988 all over the world, thanks to the immunisation campaigns.
– In 2012, only three countries (Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan) remain polio-endemic, down from more than 125 in 1988.
Polio vaccine
After the successful discovery of polio vaccine in 1952 by Jonas Salk, polio epidemic came down significantly. From 350,000 cases in 1988 it came down to 1,652 cases in 2007. The epidemic has been successfully eradicated from many nations.
There are two kinds of polio vaccines:
Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) – it is a shot given in the arm or leg, depending on the age of the child.
Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) – these are drops to be swallowed by the child.
Who should get vaccinated and when?
Children aged 5 years and below must be vaccinated. The doses are to be given in the following manner –
- A dose at 2 months
- A dose at 4 months
- A dose at 6-18 months
- A booster dose at 4-6 years
Pulse Polio
Although polio vaccination started in India in the late 1970s, it was with Pulse Polio programme that the campaign against polio virus gained momentum in every part of the nation. Pulse polio is an immunisation programme started by the Govt of India in 1995-96. Its aim was to vaccinate every child under the age of five years in India against polio virus.
The campaign proved to be a successful one for India and in 2012, World Health Organization (WHO) declared India to be free from the polio endemic.
Vaccinate your child
As long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio.
Please ensure that your child under the age of 5 years get Polio drops on 24th Feb, Sunday. The nearest Anganwadi or Primary Health Clinic (PHC) would be running a polio booth from 8:30 AM to 5 PM. You can also contact nearest Rotary club.
Every child need to get vaccinated. If they have fever on the day of immunisation, ensure to take them to the vaccination centre without failure.
Please note that it is a must to give your child the Polio drops even if they had polio drops on 20th Januray, 2013.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the less privileged people in your vicinity, be it your maid or your servant, also get to know about the campaign and ensure that their children are also vaccinated on 24th February.
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