'Families' no to vaccination for polio eradication'

Dehradun, Nov 27: Uttarakhand Health Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today attributed the refusal of families to vaccinate their children as the cause of polio cases and impediment to polio eradication campaign in the state.

Answering the query of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) member Mohammed Nizammudin during the winter session of the Assembly, which convened today after a hiatus of three days, the Health Minister said so far only five cases of polio had been detected in the state this year, three in Udhamsingh Nagar and two in Haridwar district. Last year the number of cases was 13, he said. Mr Nishank said in all the polio cases detected so far, the families of the affected children had refused to get them vaccinated.

He maintained that the government was mulling over this problem.

The state government was carryng out polio eradication and vaccination programmes in accordance with directions of the Union Government, he said.

UNI