Rotary Intl clears misconception over polio vaccine

Bangalore, Aug 12 (UNI) The Rotary International (RI) officials have cleared the misconception among people of a particular community that administration of polio vaccine resulted in impotency.

Informing this to reporters here yesterday, Rotary International Pulse Polio Trust Chairman Bob Scot said a meeting was held with the leaders of the community in New Delhi yesterday and the issue was discussed in detail and all their doubts cleared.

He said rumours that the polio vaccine caused impotency, made a section of people, mainly poor and illiterates, in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar keep their children away from oral vaccination, resulting in increase in the number of polio cases.

Mr Scot said however, after the meeting yesterday, the leaders had promised to make sure that the people of the community understood the reality and get their children, including newborns, vaccinated.

He said the community leaders agreed with the RI, which was carrying out a world wide programme to eradicate polio, that it was only a misconseption and there was no truth in it.

There had been a rise in the number of polio cases, in parts of UP and Jharkhand this year, mainly due to this misconseption. The polio cases had gone up to 155 in 29 revenue districts as on August four, compared to 66 last year and 134 during 2004. This year 134 cases were reported from UP, 14 from Bihar and one each from MP, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Mr Bill Boyd, the International President of RI, who was on his first official visit to India, said the National Orientation Polio Plus Workshop would be held in the city for two days from tomorrow.

Organised by the India National Polio Plus Committee for all Rotary and Inner Wheel leaders in India, the meeting would review the progress made so far in Polio eradication. Union Health Secretary P K Hota would be attending the workshop, he added.

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