KATHMANDU, Jan. 3: On the eve of the Seventh National Immunisation Day 2003, Health Minister Dr Upendra Devkota administered polio drops to l3 month old Anuska, son of Priti and Roshan Singh of Lajimpat at a function at the Maternity Home today.
Altogether 4,200,000 children below five years of age are to be administered polio drops throughout the Kingdom tomorrow under the National Immunisation Day. Nepal has been observing National Immunisation Day continuously since 2053 Bikram year and administering polio drops to children below five with the objective of banishing polio from the Kingdom by the year 2005.
Following the polio eradication programme in Nepal which is considered 90 per cent successful, not a single case of polio has been found here in the past two years , it is stated. Speaking at the function today, Dr Devkota said the challenge of eradicating polio still remains and thanked all those at home and abroad who have exctended their co-operation in this task. On the occasion, Minister at the Japanese Embassy Kazimi Suziki handed over 2,700,000 polio vaccine doses to Nepal. Also speaking on the occasion were representatives of the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and the Rotary International.
Four years ago there were 350,000 polio cases in the world and this number declined to l,500 last year following the anti polio drive. Of these 80 per cent were in India, it was stated at the function. Health Secretary Mahendra Nath Aryal said the anti polio vaccinations will continue in Nepal until this country is declared polio free by who.