Shillong, Aug 14: The last case of wild poliovirus in India was reported in 2011, and India was declared polio-free in 2014 by the World Health Organisation (WHO). However, 13 years later, the highly infectious virus has been detected in India again, and it makes its comeback in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills.

A chid from Tikrikilla in West Garo Hills district was confirmed to have contracted the virus on Tuesday. He was showing symptoms of Poliomyelitis and was taken to Goalpara in Assam, where doctors diagnosed him with the disease.

The child apparently comes from a Tikrikilla village where vaccination is a taboo for villagers who prefer traditional medicine practices over the modern medicines.

West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Jagdish Chelani also confirmed the detection. He informed that a team from the World Health Organization and the state health department are on the way to monitor the polio situation.

However, it is yet to be ascertained if it a wild poliovirus or a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV).

India was certified Polio free by WHO’s Regional Polio Certification Commission on March 27, 2014, after no new cases were detected in the country for 3 years. The last case of Wild poliovirus in the country was reported on January 13, 2011 from Howrah, West Bengal. No wild poliovirus case have been reported thereafter from any State/UT of the country.

Poliovirus exists in three wild types: WPV-1, WPV-2, and WPV-3. Of these, WPV-2 and WPV-3 tend to result in smaller, localized clusters and are declared as eradicated, meaning they no longer exist. However, WPV-1 still exists but only in few parts of the world and is responsible for the outbreaks. The spread of the disease is significantly influenced by factors such as poor sanitation, lack of access to clean drinking water, inadequate hand hygiene, and high population density.

The symptoms of poliovirus infection can include fatigue, fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, sore throat, neck stiffness, pain or tingling sensations in the arms and legs, severe headaches, and sensitivity to light (photophobia), among other related symptoms.

While there is no cure for polio, the only preventive measure against it is taking a vaccine.

The virus typically causes acute and short-term infections, with the infected individuals capable of transmitting the virus for less than two weeks in most cases. Humans are the sole reservoir for the virus, and there is no vector involved in its transmission.

Since 2000, over 10 billion doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) have been administered to nearly 3 billion children worldwide. This has prevented more than 13 million cases of polio, leading to a reduction of the disease by more than 99%.

At the same time, Meghalaya has been conducting regular Intensified Pulse Polio Immunization Programmes to ensure no polio cases emerge in the state.

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