Govandi toddler--Maharashtra's first polio victim in 2008

Sat, Mar 29 12:33 PM

Mumbai, Mar 29 (PTI) A 11-month-old baby from a north-east suburb in the city has been detected with the polio virus, the first case in Maharashtra this year, civic officials said today. The malnourished infant, Mohammed Asif, from suburb Govandi was confirmed to have been infected with polio last week, despite having received regular immunisation doses.

Asif was diagnosed with the P3 strain of the virus and had received the prescribed doses of polio immunisation since coming to the city last year, civic health officials said. The P3 strain is relatively less crippling than the P1 and P2 strain of the virus.

"The child despite taking the immunisation drops was malnourished and this lead him to contract the virus," Executive Health Officer for the civic body Dr Jairaj Thanekar told PTI. "He has presently recovered by about 95 per cent.

Earlier he needed his father's aid to walk, but now he is able to do so himself," he said. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai will be carrying out a pulse polio drive on Sunday which will not be affected in any way due to the detection of this case, Thanekar said.

"The drive will continue as planned and there is no need to modify it," he said. PTI.

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