Sansad TV
In this episode of the Perspective Prog. Based on ‘Polio Redux?’. Is polio making a comeback? Well, that the question that has got countries and people worried as the deadly disease is spreading in cities like New York, London and Jerusalem, for the first time in decades. In 2022 alone, there have been 177 cases of polio so far, spurring vaccination campaign across countries. The dreaded disease had terrified parents around the world for the first half of the 20th century as it killed or paralysed over half a million people every year. Affecting mainly children under five, it is often asymptomatic but can also cause symptoms including fever and vomiting. Around one in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, and among those patients, up to 10% die. Owing to mass vaccinations globally, the wild form of the disease has disappeared. It remains an endemic in just about two countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan. Although imported cases have been found in some countries like Malawi and Mozambique earlier this year, the first since the 1990s. Now, with the disease circulating in some countries like the U.S. and the UK, how concerning is it for the world?
Anchor:- Teena Jha
Producer:- Sagheer Ahmad
Dr. Sanjay K. Rai, National President, Indian Public Health Association
Dr. Ravi Godse, Internal Medicine Specialist, Western Pennsylvania Hospital
Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar, Dr. C.G. Pandit National Chair, ICMR
