Polio returns to Kolkata - 30.01.2008

KOLKATA: The city is suddenly facing a double virus attack. Even as the government is trying its best to keep the bird flu virus at bay, polio has made a comeback to Kolkata after a decade.

Twelve-year-old Sandeep Yadav from Darbhanga in Bihar, who came to the city 11 days ago, was detected with polio by WHO workers on Monday. The boy — currently residing on Vivekananda Road in ward 28 — has been diagnosed with P3 strain of the virus. It is not clear whether he has been vaccinated.

A red alert has been sounded in the city. WHO officials held a meeting on Tuesday at the KMC headquarters to review the situation and assess the possibility of the virus spreading. KMC workers have been instructed to ensure that sewage systems in the area work properly and residents adopt safety measures.

The polio virus is generally transmitted through excreta and can enter the system only through contaminated food and water. Door-to-door campaigns will be carried out within a 3-km radius of the affected area to detect if any child under five years of age has been left out of the vaccination chain.

"Even vaccination may not work if the cold chain is broken. The civic authorities should have been more careful, for polio is infectious," said Dr Samiran Panda, a tropical medicine expert.

The Pulse polio date in the affected area has been deferred from January 10 to 24 to ensure complete coverage. "We try to ensure that every child is brought under the vaccine cover, but residents often refuse to cooperate. Awareness is low in areas like Garden Reach, Topsia and Tiljala," admitted Tapati Saha, deputy chief municipal officer. These areas will be at risk if the virus spreads, officials said.

WHO has also pulled up the civic body for failing to ensure total vaccination and not doing enough to spread awareness about the disease.

There have been allegations that health workers did not administer the Pulse polio vaccine in several areas. The KMC has been asked to investigate. Officials assured that steps would be taken to set things right. "We have decided to undertake a surveillance across the city to find out areas where we need to be extra careful," the deputy chief municipal health officer said.