India under new deadly threat from Pak - Polio!

New Delhi, Sept 20: Guess what's the latest threat from rival nation Pakistan? Terrorism? No, it's the deadly disease Polio. Indians are at risk because of an infectious strain of polio in Pakistan. In 2011, around 84 polio cases were registered in Pak, out of which 83 were hit by type 1 poliovirus, which is termed more dangerous.

Seven new cases of polio were recorded in Pakistan last week. This has made Pakistan one of the countries worst-hit by polio in the world and comes at a time when neighboring India is inching towards the eradication of the disease.

India has been warned after China confirmed that polio re-entered its territory after 10 years. Four infants in China have been infected from the polio virus transmitted from Pakistan.

UNICEF statement states, "India is surrounded by countries that still have polio virus transmission. Afghanistan and Pakistan have never stopped polio virus transmission. They currently have upgrades of polio virus and just last week, virus from Pakistan re-infected China."

Now, when India has been alerted about this viral infectious disease, the Union Health Ministry has issued an alarm along the Wagah Borger, in Punjab, J&K, Gujarat and Rajasthan. The Indian government has issued orders to set up screening booths at Wagah, to administer polio drops to all children up to the age of five, entering the country by bus or by foot. This screening will continue for 4 months.

Until recently, India had one of the world"s worst rates of polio infection. In 2009, 741 cases of polio were recorded, according to the data provided by the polio surveillance project. This was over half of the total number of polio cases in the world that year. But this is changing.

OneIndia News