India launched its fourth anti-polio immunization drive in five months in May 2006, targeting roughly 170 million children under age five nationwide. The campaign aimed to ensure complete coverage after authorities recorded 26 new cases earlier in the year, all concentrated in the northern states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
The country has made significant progress since 2002, when it accounted for 83 percent of the world's new polio infections, totaling 1,600 cases. By 2005 that figure had dropped to 66, aided by high-profile television and print campaigns featuring Bollywood celebrities. India has invested the equivalent of about 1.2 billion dollars in eradication efforts since 1995, and 33 of its 35 states and federal territories are now considered polio-free.
Persistent challenges remain in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where poor roads, lack of electricity, widespread illiteracy, and limited government authority in some areas prevent vaccines from reaching all children. Health officials also noted that dense populations and poor sanitation allow viruses to reduce vaccine effectiveness even in immunized children.
Uttar Pradesh officials pointed to resistance in some Muslim communities, citing fears over the vaccine, and said they were working with religious leaders to address misconceptions. Federal health authorities blamed inadequate political commitment in both states, warning that Indian polio strains genetically linked to viruses in several other countries could spread beyond its borders if eradication stalls.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in May 2006, in its own words.