Huge response for Meerut polio rally
By IANSSaturday, January 22, 2011
MEERUT - The pulse-polio rally received tremendous response in Meerut Saturday with health workers and UNICEF officials taking out a mass procession through the city streets.
The rally was held ahead of the National Immunisation Day (NID) Sunday.
According to officials, Meerut sub-region comprising Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Baghpat districts reported only three polio cases in 2010 - two in Muzaffarnagar and one in Baghpat.
District officials, international agencies, and frontline polio workers expressed pride over the falling number of polio cases as Meerut used to report a high number of polio cases till only a few years ago.
Doctor Subodh Tiwari, chief medical officer, said that all efforts are being made to wipe out polio from Meerut.
According to official data, only two percent of the country - that is 107 districts in Uttar Pradesh (66) and Bihar (41) - hold the key to eradicating polio. Meerut is one of these districts.
