POLIO STALKS INDIA'S NORTHERN FATEHPUR DISTRICT. (TAPE NO: 09/14845)

NATURAL WITH HINDI SPEECH

DURATION: 2.49

SOURCE: ANI

TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS: NONE

Polio stalks India's northern Fatehpur district.

Despite the government's efforts to make India a polio-free nation, India's northern Fatehpur district records quite a number of polio cases.

SHOWS:

FATEHPUR, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (SEPTEMBER 22, 2009) (ANI-ACCESS ALL)

1. EXTERIOR OF FATEHPUR RAILWAY STATION

2. GV OF THE VILLAGE

3. A POLIO AFFECTED PERSON ON HIS WHEEL CHAIR

4. A GIRL AFFECTED WITH POLIO WALKING

5. A GIRL CRAWLING

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) ALI HAIDAR, A LOCAL, SAYING: "Three to four generations in our family have been suffering from Polio. Around thirty to forty children in our family are affected with polio and along with them; several elder men and women are also affected. If there is any polio drop campaign in our village, we will not participate as there is no surety that our children will be cured from the medicine ."

7. A CHILD AFFECTED WITH POLIO LYING ON THE BED

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) SHIVDARAS, ANOTHER LOCAL, SAYING: "No doctor visits our village. Our children are affected by polio. Though government spends lakhs of rupees on Polio campaign but we are not getting any benefits."

9. A GIRL IN PURPLE DRESS CRAWLING ON THE GROUND

10. INFORMATION ON WALL

11. NOTICE BOARD

12. CLOSE OF THE A K JOHRI, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, FATEHPUR

13. (SOPUNDBITE) (Hindi) A K JOHRI, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, FATEHPUR SAYING: "There is no polio case in the village. If people there are suffering from any congenital disease in the village that we need to look into. We have no such information as yet."

14. A K JOHRI, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, FATEHPUR

STORY: Despite the government's efforts to make India a polio-free nation, India's northern Fatehpur district records quite a number of polio cases.

The district in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state is witness to rise in number of Polio cases. More and more children and elders of the village feel threatened by this menace.

"Three to four generations in our family have been suffering from Polio. Around thirty to forty children in our family are affected with polio and along with them; several elder men and women are also affected. If there is any polio drop campaign in our village, we will not participate as there is no surety that our children will be cured from the medicine," said Ali Haidar, a local in the village, who is worried about his family's prolonged suffering from polio.

It has also been found by recent studies that despite good immunization coverage in northern India, the virus has been persistent due to overcrowded living conditions and poor sanitation.

Also, some locals complain that there is no doctor available in the village to check spread of the virus.

"No doctor visits our village. Our children are affected by polio. Though government spends Lakhs of rupees on Polio campaigning but we are not getting any benefits," said Shivdaras, another local.

Whereas, the Chief Medical Officer of Fatehpur district claims that there is no polio case in the village. He further adds that the matter needs to be looked into.

"There are no cases of polio in the village. If people there are suffering from any congenital disease in the village..that we need look into. We have no such information as of yet," said A K Johri, Chief Medical Officer, Fatehpur.

Polio, which is incurable, leads to irreversible paralysis. About 5-10 percent of paralyzed patients die when their breathing muscles are immobilized.

The infectious illness has been eliminated in developed nations, but India's efforts to become polio-free have met with a setback in recent years.

In the last 10 years, the U.S. Government has provided more than 170 million dollars for polio eradication in India through the World Health Organization.