India’s hopes of eradicating polio rise as new cases drop

India has not had a case of polio in nine months, raising hopes the country is on the verge of defeating the disease, health officials said yesterday.

It remains one of only four countries in the world where polio is still endemic, and the nine months that it has been without a case is the longest since eradication efforts were launched nearly two decades ago.

“We are close to our goal, but are not taking any chances,” said health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Polio usually infects children under the age of five through contaminated drinking water. The virus attacks the central nervous system, causing paralysis, muscular atrophy, deformation and, in some cases, death.

While polio has been eradicated in Europe, it remains endemic in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.