India set for polio-free landmark
India is marking three years since its last reported polio case, a landmark in the global battle against the disease.
The milestone is seen as confirmation of one of India's biggest public health successes, achieved through a massive and sustained immunisation programme. Only one case of polio was recorded in 2011, down from 741 in 2009.
In 2012 the World Health Organisation removed India from the list of polio-endemic countries. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria remain on it.
After the eradication of smallpox in 1980, polio is the second disease in India that has been eliminated through immunisation. Nearly 2.3 million volunteers visit 209 million homes to vaccinate some 170 million children under five years of age in India during every round of immunisation.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-25708715
Nice to see such progress in India. As the article points out there is still a danger that polio could spill in the border regions with Pakistan.
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