DNA spoke to BMC Executive Health Officer Dr Jayraj Thanekar to find out what measures have been put in place to check the spread of polio.
Since the state government has squarely placed the responsibility of preventing the spread of the polio virus in Mumbai on the shoulders of BMC Executive Health Officer Dr Jayraj Thanekar, DNA reporter Deepa Suryanarayan spoke to him to find out what measures have been put in place to check the spread of the disease.
How is the BMC helping 9-year-old Nazali Sheikh who was diagnosed with polio on September 26?
We have offered her specialised treatment free of cost. This includes physiotherapy to tone-affected muscles at Sion Hospital. However, Nazali's father, Nissar, has refused our offer. He wants his daughter treated by a private physician in Mazagaon.
When did the BMC find out Nazali Sheikh had polio?
We learnt about the case of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in Baiganwadi area on August 17. AFP can be caused by a variety of neurological ailments, including polio. We tested the patient's samples because the family had travelled to Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh several times. Azamgarh is a high-risk zone, with the maximum number of polio cases in that state. The results arrived on September 26, confirming it was polio.
What efforts are underway, particularly in Govandi, after Mumbai's first case of polio in three years was detected in Baiganwadi?
The BMC has had a highly effective immunisation programme in place for the past five years. It explains why we have not had a single polio case prior to this one in recent years. As recently as September 10, about 4,180 children in Govandi's Baiganwadi area were given the polio vaccine, while 13,991 children were immunised in Govandi. There are four health posts (Deonar, Baiganwadi, Shivaji Nagar and Govandi), which keep a tab on polio and other diseases. We are planning another pulse polio drive on November 5.
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