Friday, September 22 2006 12:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: There has been 23 polio related deaths in the country this year, a WHO official said yesterday (Sept 21,2006) .

Jay Wenger, project manager of the National Polio Surveillance Project-India, told PTI that most of the 23 deaths have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, which reported 269 polio cases out of the 297 cases reported in the country this year.

Health Secretary P C Hota said they are not aware of the deaths and washed his hands off by saying that as WHO is compiling the data they will be knowing it. "They are the ones who are compiling the datas," Hota said.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss in an interaction with media this evening said "It is a panic situation."



"Ninety per cent of the polio cases have been reported from Uttar Pradesh so naturally the deaths have occurred there," said Wenger.

The minister after more than two hours meeting with health ministers of eight states, which have reported polio cases this year, said the government is stepping up the polio campaign in the high-risk areas first and than would concentrate on the entire country.



In the November pulse polio campaign, over 100 million chidren are said to be vaccinated, out of which 36 to 37 million children are below the age of five and would be from Uttar Pradesh alone.

Without giving more details, the minister said in the next three months the campaign would be carried out in the entire country.