Pakistan has reported its first case of poliovirus infection this year in a four-year-old child from Sindh province, raising concerns about the ongoing threat of the crippling disease despite eradication efforts.
Indian cricketers, especially Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, are extremely popular in Pakistan.
Bihar has made unprecedented progress in the polio eradication programme by successfully interrupting the virus. The state has remained polio-free for over two years, said state health secretary and executive director of Bihar state health society Sanjay Kumar.
Impressed with India's successful effort in polio eradication, Pakistan is keen to emulate the model to achieve polio-free status even as it allayed fears of exporting the virus to the Indian side.
Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation had removed India from the list of polio-endemic countries. If no fresh case is reported till 2014, the country will be declared polio free.
The study appearing in the November 17 issue of the journal Science said that vaccination was the key to eradicating polio from countries like India, where the poor sanitation and overcrowding was letting the virus rage unhindered.
The United States has issued an advisory cautioning against travel to the immediate vicinity of the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict and to the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
After a child died and six others fell ill on Saturday in Bihar's Vaishali district after allegedly being administered polio drops, a team of doctors from Patna rushed to Hajipur to inquire into it, official sources said.
Bihar has not reported a single case of polio in the last three years and has virtually remained polio free since August 2010, an official said on Monday.
The World Health Organisation on Saturday said there is "no threat" to the polio-free status of all Southeast Asian region countries, including India
The executive director of the World Health Organisation, Michael Ryan, said India, the world's second most populous country, has a tremendous capacity to deal with the coronavirus outbreak as it has the experience of eradicating the small-pox and polio through targeted public intervention.
The executive director of the WHO, Michael Ryan, said India, the world's second most populous country, has a tremendous capacity to deal with the coronavirus outbreak as it has the experience of eradicating the small-pox and polio through targeted public intervention.
The incident took place in Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan city in the province where the van was deployed for the security of the polio workers canvasing the area, District Police Officer Wahid Mahmood was quoted as saying by the Dawn News.
In an attempt to address issues of gender discrimination and denial of basic right to education, Amitabh Bachchan emphasised on the importance of knowledge and its power to liberate one's future at a charity event in Mumbai.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is elated that his angry young man act for the polio campaign has led to a decrease in the number of polio cases this year.
'I hope that by adding my voice to the cause of children, it will make a difference in the lives of boys and girls here at home and across the region,' he said.
'In 2009 we had 741 new cases of polio. This was the highest in the world. We ran the most apolitical crusade ever. We had the support of every government. We were never short of funds. The central government gave us Rs 11,000 crore a year. In 2011 we had 42 new cases. From 42 to 0 was our most difficult phase,' Mission Director Anuradha Gupta tells Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar in an exclusive interview about India's monumental campaign to eradicate polio.
The Gates Foundation is awarding a $255 million challenge grant to Rotary, which the latter will match with an additional $100 million raised by its members over the next three years. At the same time, the United Kingdom is giving an additional $150 million and Germany $130 million both to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Over 16,000 families in Pakistan refused to vaccinate their children against polio during the first two days of the latest round of polio campaign in the country, as community opposition and Taliban threats block efforts to eradicate the crippling disease from the country.
Doctors are warning that the disease is targeting adults who had probably missed childhood vaccination, and have thus not developed a natural immunity.
Para high jumper Sharad Kumar has not met his Ukrainian coach Nikitin Yevhen for more than two years due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party President Vijay Goel, who had projected himself as a chief ministerial contender, on Tuesday said he was "happy" with party's decision to nominate Harsh Vardhan for the post and will continue to work hard to ensure BJP's victory in the assembly polls.
Glimpses into the life of Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, who at 31, is Pakistan's youngest first lady.
'Terrorists have targeted US diplomats and diplomatic facilities in the past, and information suggests they continue to do so'
While the vaccine could be available at $3-6 (Rs 225 to Rs 550) per dose, herd immunity might be two years away due to implementation challenges, it said, adding the experience in large scale adult vaccination programmes is thin.
'For free supply of drugs and medicines itself, almost Rs 20,000 crores would be required.'
Known for his clean image, Harsh Vardhan will face a stiff challenge of uniting the faction-ridden Bharatiya Janata Party as his nomination to the chief ministerial post comes after a bitter internal squabble that had threatened to derail the party's campaign to wrest power after 15 years in the capital.
Vardhan's elevation to the chairmanship of the 34-member World Health Organisation (WHO) Executive Board comes amid growing calls, including by United States President Donald Trump, to investigate how coronavirus originated in China's Wuhan city and subsequent action by Beijing.
'The first duty of the government is to learn lessons from a bad experience and course correct. It's a pity that the government is making policy without looking at evidence and differentiating between immediate and urgent.'
Here's what makes Amitabh Bachchan the epitome of humility and a great human being.
'One thing we have learnt is that a pandemic can be arrested at any stage.' 'Not suddenly, of course, but slowly with steady unwavering focus.'
'What proportion of the people require the vaccine for us to manage this entire COVID-19 situation?'
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday sought keen oversight and personal indulgence of health ministers, principal secretaries and additional chief secretaries of states and union territories to lead the second nationwide mock drill on the COVID-19 vaccination scheduled to be held on January 8.
In an attempt to stem the spread of coronavirus in India, Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday announced a nationwide lockdown for three weeks.
At least 200 religious scholars in Pakistan have issued a fatwa terming suicide attacks as "un-Islamic" and said the Islamic governments are bound to crush rebel groups like the Taliban, ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
"We commend your leadership and the proactive measures you and your government have taken to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 infection rate in India, such as adopting a national lockdown, expanding focused testing to identify hot spots for isolation, quarantining, and care, and significantly increasing health expenditures to strengthen the health system response and promote R&D and digital innovation," Gates wrote.
The costs of providing free vaccines are way lower than the costs of a freewheeling epidemic.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances