World Polio Day: Special Article: Vishnudev Sai and Shyam Bihari Jaiswal’s commendable role in polio eradication

Polio is a serious disease, which usually makes people its victims even at a young age. This is the reason why World Polio Day is celebrated every year on 24 October with the aim of spreading awareness among people about it. This day not only tells people about the bad consequences of this serious disease but also gives information about the ways to deal with it. Even though India has been declared polio free, many people around the world are still affected by this disease. This day was started in 1985. This day is celebrated in honor of the efforts of Jonas Salk, the lead medical researcher of the first polio vaccine team formed by Rotary International. Since then, this day is celebrated every year on 24 October.

This day to spread awareness about polio is celebrated every year with a special theme. This year the theme of World Polio Day is: “A global mission to reach every child” Polio, also known as poliomyelitis, is a highly contagious viral disease that mainly affects children under the age of 5. Due to this, the affected child suffers paralysis and sometimes even death. In such a situation, since the launch of initiatives like the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988 to prevent this disease, it has helped in reducing polio cases worldwide. After this initiative, polio cases have declined by more than 99% and polio is now endemic in only a few countries.

MCB district has played a leading role in polio eradication efforts. This success is due to the leadership of the state’s Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai and Health Minister Shyambihari Jaiswal, under whose leadership the state strengthened health services and launched a major campaign against polio. Polio (poliomyelitis) is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. It mainly affects children, causing muscle weakness in them and can lead to permanent disability or even death. There was a time when this disease had taken a terrible form all over the world, and millions of children were being affected by it. But global organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF launched extensive campaigns to eradicate polio, in which vaccination became a main weapon. The last case of polio in India was reported in 2011, and in 2014 the country was declared polio free. This was a major achievement, but the contribution of the states in this journey has also been important. The steps taken by states like Chhattisgarh towards polio eradication became an inspiration for the entire country.

Chhattisgarh, known for its tribal and rural population, has been a challenging state for polio eradication. The state’s geographical location, population diversity and problems in access to health services make it more challenging.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai and Health Minister Shyambihari Jaiswal, Chhattisgarh took several important steps towards polio eradication. To improve access to health services, a strong vaccination campaign was launched in the state, with special focus on rural and tribal areas where access to health services was low.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai gave priority to health services during his tenure. He believed that the prosperity of any state is possible only when its people are healthy. Eliminating diseases like polio was at the top of his agenda. Under his leadership, extensive health schemes were launched in the state, which aimed at complete eradication of diseases like polio. Vishnudev Sai took several initiatives to improve health services in the state. He increased the number of health workers and doctors to implement vaccination campaigns rapidly and ensured that health services could be delivered to every corner of the state. He made special efforts to strengthen health services, especially in remote areas like Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur.
Health services are being expanded under the leadership of Shyam Bihari Jaiswal

Chhattisgarh Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal played a key role in the fight against polio in the state. He empowered the state health department and created a comprehensive strategy to successfully implement the polio vaccination program. Under his leadership, several polio vaccination campaigns were conducted in the state, of which the “Pulse Polio Abhiyan” was the most prominent. He ensured that the vaccination program ran smoothly in all the districts of the state, especially in tribal and remote areas. For this, he prepared a team of a large number of health workers and volunteers who were going door-to-door to administer polio doses to children. MCB district is one of the new districts of Chhattisgarh, which is playing an important role in the polio eradication campaign of the state. Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai and Health Minister Shyambihari Jaiswal took several important steps to improve the access to health services in this district. This district has been a challenging area for health services due to its hilly and remote areas. But under the government’s schemes, health services were expanded here and it was ensured that no child was deprived of polio vaccination. Polio eradication figures in Chhattisgarh reflect the hard work and dedication of the state. The last case of polio in the state was reported in 2009. Since then, continuous vaccination campaigns have been carried out, resulting in Chhattisgarh being declared a polio-free state. Around 85% of the children in the state were successfully vaccinated in 2020, and this figure is set to rise to over 95% in 2024. According to data released by the state government’s health department, 98% of the children in MCB district were given polio doses, which is better than the state average.

Collective efforts being made for
polio eradication Cooperation of the government and the public is extremely necessary for polio eradication. Under the leadership of Vishnudev Sai and Shyambihari Jaiswal, government institutions as well as NGOs and social workers have also contributed a lot in Chhattisgarh. To make the polio vaccination campaign successful, the state government also ran many public awareness programs, under which people were informed about the danger of polio and the importance of vaccination. The success that Chhattisgarh has achieved in the direction of polio eradication is the result of the vision and leadership of Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai and Health Minister Shyambihari Jaiswal. Due to their efforts, not only MCB district but the entire Chhattisgarh has moved towards becoming polio free.