India is on the cusp of being declared polio-free after not a single case was detected in the last 12 months, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday. Sona Bari, spokeswoman for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) that the WHO spearheads, said they faced “nail-biting” weeks ahead as they wait for the results of remaining laboratory tests. India’s last polio victim was an 18-month-old girl in West Bengal, reported on January 13, 2011. If all pending tests are negative it means India has reached one year without any cases and will no longer be considered polio-endemic. India had traditionally been recognised as one of the hardest places in the world to eradicate the highly contagious, crippling disease which affects mainly children under five. As recently as 2009 there were a reported 741 polio cases — more than any other country in the world. “We are pretty confident that all the results will be negative,” said Bari. “Then India will no longer be polio endemic. No child will be paralysed by polio in India for the first time in history,” she said. Bari attributed the success to innovations in vaccines, funding and the commitment of the Indian people. Last year two National Immunisation Days were carried out targeting 172 million children under five. “India’s success is arguably its greatest public health achievement and has provided a global opportunity to push for the end of polio,” said WHO Director General Margaret Chan.
