18 May 2008, 0433 hrs IST,TNN

PATNA: State health minister Nand Kishore Yadav on Saturday inaugurated special national workshop of Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) on Polio eradication. The minister said that polio eradication was among the top priorities of the state government.

Speaking on the occasion, chairman of the India Expert Advisory Group (IEAG) on polio eradication and co-chairman of IAP Polio Eradication Committee Dr Jacob John said India was close to stopping transmission of Type 1 polio virus. The key to success lies in strengthening polio campaigns in a few blocks of Bihar, the only areas at risk of continuing virus transmission.

According to Dr John, the virus is now very vulnerable and can be eradicated."The situation is now very positive in Bihar. Type 3 polio virus outbreak of last year is under control and number of cases are coming down. The state should focus on Type 1 and eradicate it completely," said Dr. John.


IAP national president R K Agarwal said the state can achieve what west Uttar Pradesh has achieved.


He said Type 1 transmission has already slowed down in Bihar as only one such case has been reported in 2008 so far.

Prominent among those who participated in the meeting included IAP national vice-president Dr Utpal Kant Singh, IAP state president Dr S B P Singh, state general secretary Dr B P Jaiswal, former national vice-president Dr S A Krishna, state organizing secretary Dr A K Thakur, Unicef health specialist Dr Sherin Varkey and Unicef polio coordinator Dr A R Siddqui.

Earlier in the day, addressing a press conference, some prominent doctors of IAP, including national president R K Agarwal, president-elect Panna Choudhary, A K Thaur, Utpal Kant Singh and Hamid Jafri expressed confidence in current polio eradication strategy. They said the country is close to stopping transmission of Type 1 polio virus.