POLIO ERADICATION NO LONGER A DREAM
POLIO ERADICATION NO LONGER A DREAM
Sir,
Reference to the article ‘Polio eradication by year end' of Mr. Satnam Singh, Tribune dated 16th Jan. 09 in oped page. The writer, who is a former Programme Director WHO South Asia Regional Office New Delhi, has elaborated the reasons responsible for the failure of Polio eradication from India/World within stipulated time frame of 205 A.D. He has hoped to eradicate the malady by year end provided the current intake of oral live (Sabine) Polio vaccine is supplemented with that of inactive/attenuated (Salk) Polio vaccine especially in those high risk areas of various states of India, may be elsewhere of world from where Polio paralytic incidences are still being reported from time to time.
Having come across with innumerable Polio paralytic victims in my long career of nearly 40 years (being a Teacher, Medical Practitioner and Researcher) I found and classify them into two distinct categories.
In the first category, the paralytic victims were attacked by the ‘air' in their infantile age or childhood specially when they suffered from fever. Their limbs, mostly the lower ones got weakened as a result thereof, which can be termed as paresis or semiparalytic state. But none undergone flaccidity and emaciation with the passage of time. The victims although limped a bit but did not need the help of crutches. Such kind of paralysis is the typical example of indigenous or locally acquired Polio paralytic incidences or true polio paralysis.
With the frequent intake of Polio vaccine, this kind of paralytic incidences are now very very rare, rather nil and thus forms only 0-‘1% of the total prevailing paralytic incidences.
In the second category, paralytic victims can easily be encountered every where. In these victims we always find history of trauma, which the young ones sustain while administering drugs through intramuscular (IM) route, whether they have fever or not. The limbs first get flaccid paralysis soon after the nerve getting injured by needle prick. Thereafter the limbs get emaciation with the passage of time. Such paralytic victims take the help of crutches in order to walk. 99.9% of the total paralytic victims fall in this category and disguised as victims of wild Polio paralytic cases.
WHO through Govt. agencies dealing with Polio eradication programme are not paying heed towards this cause at all. The reason best known to them only. But at the same time vainly trying and hoping to curtail such kind of paralytic incidences through frequent intake of oral live Polio vaccine. Instead, they should have educated the clinicians and general public both for not administrating a drug through intramuscular route. It can easily be substituted with that of pills, powder, syrups intake. Still if it is a must to inject a particular drug, then it should be done through different routes/sites.
Better late than never is the wise advice. The present dismissal scenario can be changed in a day or two just by bringing a legislation to ban intramuscular administration (IM) of drugs to infants/young children. The day any such ban comes into effect as statutory warning, the dream to eradicate Polio paralysis incidences from India/world would be realised much before the stipulated time frame of 2010 A.D. It will be a 100% success story.
Dr. P.S. Rawat
B.Sc., B.H.M.S.
Place: Chandigarh M.D.(Homoeo)Scholar
Date: August 15, 2010 Cum Clinical Researcher
Formerly:- Professor & Principal-cum-officer incharge Research,
H.M.C & Hospital Chandigarh and
S.A.S Nagar (Mohali) Punjab. M.D (Homoeo)
Address for correspondence:-
Flat No. 2032/1, Sector 45-C,
Chandigarh (U.T), Pin-160047 INDIA.
Phones: 91-9456577638, 91-9463966155, 91-0172-2630069
E-mail addresses: dr.psrawat47@gmail.com, premrawat182@gmail.com
Sir,
Reference to the article ‘Polio eradication by year end' of Mr. Satnam Singh, Tribune dated 16th Jan. 09 in oped page. The writer, who is a former Programme Director WHO South Asia Regional Office New Delhi, has elaborated the reasons responsible for the failure of Polio eradication from India/World within stipulated time frame of 205 A.D. He has hoped to eradicate the malady by year end provided the current intake of oral live (Sabine) Polio vaccine is supplemented with that of inactive/attenuated (Salk) Polio vaccine especially in those high risk areas of various states of India, may be elsewhere of world from where Polio paralytic incidences are still being reported from time to time.
Having come across with innumerable Polio paralytic victims in my long career of nearly 40 years (being a Teacher, Medical Practitioner and Researcher) I found and classify them into two distinct categories.
In the first category, the paralytic victims were attacked by the ‘air' in their infantile age or childhood specially when they suffered from fever. Their limbs, mostly the lower ones got weakened as a result thereof, which can be termed as paresis or semiparalytic state. But none undergone flaccidity and emaciation with the passage of time. The victims although limped a bit but did not need the help of crutches. Such kind of paralysis is the typical example of indigenous or locally acquired Polio paralytic incidences or true polio paralysis.
With the frequent intake of Polio vaccine, this kind of paralytic incidences are now very very rare, rather nil and thus forms only 0-‘1% of the total prevailing paralytic incidences.
In the second category, paralytic victims can easily be encountered every where. In these victims we always find history of trauma, which the young ones sustain while administering drugs through intramuscular (IM) route, whether they have fever or not. The limbs first get flaccid paralysis soon after the nerve getting injured by needle prick. Thereafter the limbs get emaciation with the passage of time. Such paralytic victims take the help of crutches in order to walk. 99.9% of the total paralytic victims fall in this category and disguised as victims of wild Polio paralytic cases.
WHO through Govt. agencies dealing with Polio eradication programme are not paying heed towards this cause at all. The reason best known to them only. But at the same time vainly trying and hoping to curtail such kind of paralytic incidences through frequent intake of oral live Polio vaccine. Instead, they should have educated the clinicians and general public both for not administrating a drug through intramuscular route. It can easily be substituted with that of pills, powder, syrups intake. Still if it is a must to inject a particular drug, then it should be done through different routes/sites.
Better late than never is the wise advice. The present dismissal scenario can be changed in a day or two just by bringing a legislation to ban intramuscular administration (IM) of drugs to infants/young children. The day any such ban comes into effect as statutory warning, the dream to eradicate Polio paralysis incidences from India/world would be realised much before the stipulated time frame of 2010 A.D. It will be a 100% success story.
Dr. P.S. Rawat
B.Sc., B.H.M.S.
Place: Chandigarh M.D.(Homoeo)Scholar
Date: August 15, 2010 Cum Clinical Researcher
Formerly:- Professor & Principal-cum-officer incharge Research,
H.M.C & Hospital Chandigarh and
S.A.S Nagar (Mohali) Punjab. M.D (Homoeo)
Address for correspondence:-
Flat No. 2032/1, Sector 45-C,
Chandigarh (U.T), Pin-160047 INDIA.
Phones: 91-9456577638, 91-9463966155, 91-0172-2630069
E-mail addresses: dr.psrawat47@gmail.com, premrawat182@gmail.com
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