WHO Reports India Polio-Free for Entire Year
![A health worker marks the finger of a child after administering a polio vaccine at a polio booth in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh January 10, 2010.](https://d.medicaldaily.com/en/full/222733/health-worker-marks-finger-child-after-administering-polio-vaccine-polio-booth-northern.jpg?w=736&f=eb361f5b49fa35047870e22aee0adc84)
According to the World Health Organization, India, once the world’s epicenter for polio transmission, has made it an entire year without a single case.
The number of polio-endemic countries is now down to three - Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.
"India’s success is arguably its greatest public health achievement and has provided a global opportunity to push for the end of polio," said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.
According to WHO, India has to keep up its sensitive surveillance and high childhood immunity to guard against any recurrence – in 2011 poliovirus from Pakistan re-infected China.
Each year, more than 170 million children under the age of 5 are vaccinated in two national immunization campaigns in India, and up to 70 million children in the highest-risk areas are vaccinated multiple times in additional special campaigns.