India polio-free for more than 4 years - Government

India is polio-free. The country reported its last case of wild poliovirus in 2011. After three consecutive polio-free years, the South-East Asia Region of WHO, comprising of 11 countries (including India), was certified polio-free on 27 March 2014. Despite this progress, India has maintained a high vigil and ensured that no complacency sets in order to maintain the polio-free status for the last more than 4 years. It has taken appropriate actions to ensure high population immunity against polio as well as for maintaining a sensitive surveillance system for poliovirus detection.  The 208 cases reported from Bareilly in a section of the media are a part of these. Reports of all AFP cases received from the laboratories in 2015 are negative for poliovirus.
Surveillance for polio in India has been set up as per global WHO guidelines according to which all cases of paralysis with sudden onset in children up to 15 years (which is called Acute Flaccid Paralysis or AFP) are reported and investigated by the polio surveillance network and their stool samples tested for poliovirus in WHO accredited laboratories. Surveillance for polio in India is considered among the best polio surveillance systems anywhere in the world and surpasses the globally recommended standards. The AFP Surveillance system has been in place in India since 1997. While polio cases were detected in India through this surveillance system between 1997 and 2011, not a single AFP case has tested positive for polio since 13 January 2011.