POST 00863E : POLIO ERADICATION AND INDIA 3 December 2005
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Anthony Battersby (mailto:[email protected]) from the UK (see his short
message below) has submitted for posting the following article : "Polio
Eradication Initiative in India : Deconstructing the GPEI" by C.
Sathyamala, Onkar Mittal, Rajib Dasgupta, and Ritu Priya in the
International Journal of Health Services, Volume 35, Number 2, Pages
361Â383, 2005.
It can be downloaded directly from :
http://www.technet21.org/pdf_file/PolioIndia.pdf (102KB)
This article is very critical towards WHO's strategy for polio eradication
and takes India as a case. It is neither my role or my goal to make an
exhaustive analysis of the article. However the authors write :"even in
situations with no reported/confirmed wild polio-AFP cases, it cannot be
taken to mean that there is no wild poliovirus in circulation causing other
manifestations including deaths and subclinical infections."
I don't feel quite competent to comment in details but I believe that
everybody would agree with this statement. On the other hand, I also
believe that WHO/PEI has means to monitor poliovirus in circulation that
are used at different stages of eradication. WHO does carry tests on the
environment and on healthy children in various parts of the world depending
on the phase at which the region is involved. Can we imagine anyone taking
responsibility for eradication with any substantial risk that the virus
survives in the environment somewhere?
The authors also state that "it is not weak political will that is the
central obstacle in this final push for global eradication." It may not be
the central obstacle but in the case of India in particular, the picture
would not be complete without considering the political situation in some
critical states like Bihar.
Since this article was written, the situation in India has changed
substantially. You are invited to see the Monthly Situation Report (November) :
http://www.polioeradication.org/content/general/current_monthly_sitrep.asp
and the various files on polio eradication in India at the following URL :
http://www.polioeradication.org/content/videoaudio/diary/index.asp
for an encouraging outlook..!
The moderator
NOTE : This article will be hosted only temporarily on the site, for one
month, and not listed in reference documents.
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The attached needs wider circulation. It raises issues that we are very
familiar with in Nigeria so two big countries are being given a lot of
grief by PEI
Cheers, Anthony
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