Kolkata, Oct 24 (UNI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said her Government has been able to immunise 100 per cent children in the state.
Taking to her Twitter handle on the occasion of 'World Polio Day' today, Ms Banerjee
stressed on immunising every child until transmission stops.
She said, ' Today is #WorldPolioDay. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, almost always
protects a child for life. All of us must act to immunise every child until transmission stops. '
' Our Govt in #Bangla has been able to immunise 100 per cent children in the State, ' Ms Banerjee added.
World Polio Day was established by Rotary International over a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis.
Use of this inactivated poliovirus vaccine and subsequent widespread use of the oral poliovirus, developed by Albert Sabin, led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative
(GPEI) in 1988. As of 2013, GPEI had reduced polio worldwide by 99 per cent.
Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. There is no cure, but there are
safe and effective vaccines. Polio can be prevented through immunization.
Polio vaccine, given multiple times, almost always protects a child for life. The strategy to
eradicate polio is therefore based on preventing infection by immunizing every child until
transmission stops and the world is polio-free.
UNI SJC KK