President Pranab Mukherjee calls for more vigilance to prevent polio recurrence in India

President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday inaugurated the Rotary International's Polio-Free Conclave-2014 at Vigyan Bhavan.

Speaking on the occasion, Mukherjee said: "Our success must make us more vigilant", and added, "We will continue to be at risk until the whole world is free of the virus."

"We will need to keep up our watchfulness and preparedness and take all the precautions necessary to ensure there is no recurrence of this dreadful disease in our country," he said.

The President also said viruses and diseases do not respect borders.

"It is in our interest to assist those populations of the global community that are still vulnerable to polio. We should reach out to such countries that can benefit from our success and experience. Countries such as Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, countries in West Africa and even Syria, which are said to be polio infected, can be assisted in many ways. Strategies that brought us success and improve our health systems and infrastructure should be shared. As long as the polio virus survives anywhere, it is a threat to populations everywhere," he added.