RESOURCE CRIPPLED BIHAR FIGHTS AGAINST POLIO

UNCLAS KOLKATA 000223 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT AND NEW DELHI PLS PASS TO USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO KHIV SENV PGOV IN SUBJECT: RESOURCE CRIPPLED BIHAR FIGHTS AGAINST POLIO ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The state of Bihar continues to see an increase in polio cases. As of the end of July 2007, 17 cases have been reported, compared to 13 during the same period last year. In 2006, Bihar reported 61 cases of polio out of a total of 660 in India, which was double the number from the previous year. Because of the rise in the number of cases, UNICEF and the Bihar Public Health Department, following Indian Expert Advisory Group on Polio guidelines, have increased their efforts to provide polio vaccinations and information to residents. Bihar government officials have tried to assure Post that this year the spread of virus will be controlled, but continued efforts and assistance will be necessary if the numbers are to decrease. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Working with the Indian Expert Advisory Group on Polio, UNICEF and the Bihar Public Health Department have intensified their polio vaccination rounds to intervals of 4-6 weeks. Accredited Social Health Activists have been mobilized by the state government and UNICEF is working closely with them to provide more vaccinators at the village-level. UNICEF is also directly supporting 10,805 National Cadet Corp cadets (up from 3,000 cadets in 2006) for the same purpose in 27 districts in the state. Several voluntary and philanthropic religious organizations are also assisting. These efforts cover an estimated 64 million people (approximately 77 percent of the state's 82 million people) in 27 districts where UNICEF's operates its "social mobilization" programs. Special, focused intervention is being made in another 54 high-risk areas in villages bordering Nepal, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. ¶3. (SBU) The head of UNICEF's Bihar program informed Post that his office has expanded its "polio on wheels" program at transit points in between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (where 530 polio cases had been reported in 2006). Indian Railways has also provided support to the volunteers to cover major routes between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for vaccination during transit. Even so, during the same period (through July 2006 and through July 2007) in Bihar the number of polio cases reported has gone up from 13 to 17. UNICEF officials added that a major concern is reaching the remote villages during the monsoon and flood season. Plans are being drawn up to have volunteers travel by boat in some areas to reach flooded villages. In addition, to reach minority Muslim populations two Muslim NGOs, Imarat Shariah and Silsila, have been enlisted to spread the message about polio vaccinations. UNICEF has also appealed to Muslim leaders and Imams to deliver these messages in mosques and during community meetings. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: Although polio eradication efforts continue with some success in India, impoverished, populous states like Bihar still face difficulties in completely eliminating the disease. A high-rate of migration to and from neighboring states makes vaccination programs more difficult to implement, as does annual flooding and poor infrastructure. While UNICEF and the Bihar government have implemented strong campaigns against polio, further international support and effort is needed to fully eradicate the virus in the state. JARDINE