Polio Health and Disability News from India

October 24 is World Polio Day and the disease still continues to hold its grip.

Expressing concern over the increase in polio cases in the country, the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) has recommended a new vaccination strategy, in which injectable polio vaccines will be given to children along with oral drops to prevent the crippling disease.

The new strategy should be adopted in the immunisation schedule, 2008, as 486 polio cases had already been reported till date this year in the country, IAP said here.

Moreover, the recent outbreaks of polio cases in Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, apart from the already endemic states of UP and Bihar have cast doubts as to why children are getting infected by the virus despite having being taken oral vaccine multiple times.

Polio is one of the leading causes of disability leading to permanent paralysis.

Out of 197 countries in the world, in only four countries, polio is still endemic. Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the other three countries in the list. To eradicate polio from India, better preventive measures are needed.

As the population increases, people with disability can dramatically challenge the health care delivery system. But thanks to the availability of new forms of injectable vaccination, polio eradication programmes can be made more effective and successful. A list of world Famous People who had and have Polio

In Other Health and Disability News from India:

New Delhi - Finance minister P. Chidambaram Friday said he would ensure 100,000 physically challenged people are provided employment by the end of the current financial year. I am here to ensure that we will employ 100,000 people with disability in the remaining six months of this fiscal year,� Chidambaram said at a conference on engaging industry in employment of people with disability.

Mumbai (PTI): The first-of-its-kind parallel school imparting special education to children in the country located in suburban Mumbai, has chalked up ambitious plans to impart education to 300 children with disabilities.

At a special Autism Spectrum Awareness campaign, which was attended by Shweta Kumar (actress of forthcoming Himesh Reshammiya film 'Karzz'), her father Indra Kumar (Bollywood director) and TV star Amita Chandekar (of Balaji serials and reality show fame), the NGO Sol's ARC (Assessment and Remedial Centre) sought the support of the policy decision makers in the Government. "The entire entertainment industry should support such noble causes and participate in initiatives such as the Sol's ARC's Autism Spectrum Awareness campaign. It was great fun to interact with the special children and they really surprised us with their abilities," Shweta Kumar, the lead actress in 'Karzz', said.

Studies show that only one in a million children are born completely deaf; the rest can be rehabilitated and made to lead a normal life if the intervention is early enough.

It is for this reason that the government of Tamil Nadu has for a few years been running an early intervention programme in 10 districts. Deafness can be detected within 48 hours of a child's birth and most deaf children have a certain amount of hearing, which can be preserved if they are fitted with a hearing aid from a very young age and continue to wear it. On the other hand, if the hearing impairment is not detected early enough and the child not fitted with a hearing aid, they can lose whatever little hearing they had. In most cases, the only thing standing between a hearing impaired child and a normal life with the use of language and sound is a parent in denial.

Expressing solidarity with those suffering from arthritis, the walkathon organised by Dignity Foundation on World Arthritis Day, saw the participation of 1,000-odd senior citizens, walking a distance of 1.5 km. The event-organised for the third consecutive yearaims at generating awareness, clearing myths and answering questions about one of the most debilitating diseases. President of Dignity Foundation Dr Sheilu Sreenivasan said this was the third year of the event and the response, as always , has been overwhelming.

The World Bank today approved a US$520.75 million IDA credit to India in a major new attack on three diseases still killing thousands of Indians each year and affecting the lives of millions in poor and tribal communities. The credit also has tough new safeguards in place to prevent corruption. The National Vector Borne Disease Control and Polio Eradication Support Project designed in cooperation with the Government of India, World Health Organization (WHO), and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will significantly boost effective prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services for malaria and kala azar in remote and backwards areas especially, and increase polio vaccinations.

ISLAMABAD: A three-year project has been launched to impart training to disabled persons to equip them with leadership skills and facilitate them in formation of Disabled People Organisation (DPO), Self Help Organisation (SHO) and Family Associations of PWDs. The project named Promotion of Social Development Participation of Persons with Disability to be launched in 12 union councils of district Abbottabad, NWFP aims at building and interfacing between disabled and non-disabled people through awareness raising, information dissemination and experience sharing. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, Abbottabad will jointly execute the project. Speaking on the occasion, the JICA resident representative highlighted initiatives in Pakistan including PIMS hospitals in Islamabad and a hospital in Peshawar, which have been funded by Japan. "JICA was committed to the cause of serving humanity", he added.