India is a polio free country at this moment! This is like a war won. A moment to rejoice. Hats off to the efforts of the health workers – the unsung heroes. However, the government needs to continue the battle against polio with the same determination and stamina as polio will recur if the virus migrates from the wild or the neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, where it still occurs. I am glad that I have been a part of the pulse polio immunization programme twice during 2nd professional MBBS, when I got the opportunity to administer the oral polio vaccine to children.

Dr. Anjan Kr. Das, MCh is amazed that this event din’t find much space in the media. On his blog Reflections, he points out:

Certainly it was less discussed than Amitabh Bacchan’s health problems. It is a pity that while the media are in the forefront of criticism of the health authorities, workers and the government for their failures, they failed to pay tribute to the thousands of nameless warriors in the Indian health system who led and won the fight against polio.