HYDERABAD: The Telangana government on Tuesday sounded a "global emergency" after an active strain of wild polio virus (P2 strain) was detected in a water sample collected from a drain, prompting it to airlift two lakh vaccines from Geneva to innoculate more than three lakh children in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district as a "preventive measure" from Wednesday.
Vaccine Derived Polio Virus (VDPV) strain has not been seen in the country for more than five years. While no case of polio has been reported so far, the strain, doctors said, must be contained as it continues to be reported in neighbouring countries and West Asia that are well connected with Hyderabad. The government said it’s launching a massive vaccination programme as a preventive measure.
"The government has decided to conduct a special campaign against polio in Hyderabad and parts of Ranga Reddy from June 20 to June 26," said Rajeshwar Tiwari, prinicipal secretary, health. He added that this wasn’t the first time that the strain was traced. The wild polio strain was previously detected in Bihar, Gujarat, UP and even Delhi.
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