Awareness will help fight polio: Khanduri

Dehra Dun, Mar 11 (UNI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri today urged the people to join hands to fight the polio menace in the state and underscored the need of an awareness campaign to curb the disease.

''The people should involve themselves in the door-to-door polio campaign which will help in the eradication of the disease,'' the Chief Minister said while visiting the Doon Hospital to administer polio drops to children.

Earlier, Governor Sudarshan Agarwal initiated the Polio Eradication Campaign in the state by admininstering polio drops to children below five years age at the Raj Bhavan.

The Governor said in year 2006, 676 cases of polio were detected in the country. This year, only 15 cases have been detected so far-- seven in Bihar, four in Uttar Pradesh, two in Andhra Pradesh and one each in Haryana and Maharashtra.

He stressed that the pulse polio campaign ought to be taken mostly to the slum areas, where people were less aware.

Director General, Health and Family Welfare, R C Sayana apprised that the state had targetted 10,13,169 children below five years under the Polio Eradication Campaign for which 3953 Polio booths, including 1045 mobile booths, had been installed.

He informed that not a single polio case had been detected so far in the state this year.

UNI