18 ms·

India Manages to Free Itself of Polio

380 points by smaug7 13y ago

NAFV_P 13y ago
As long as a rogue agent doesn't get their hands on this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/2122619.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/2122619.stm
- waps 13y ago
  Viruses are the only way to change the DNA of a living human, and that's the only way you're ever going to cure cancer, or fix things like diabetes, or ... Plus it would allow for far more effective treatments for nearly any disease. If you ever want to be immortal, or even 150, it's an infection with a virus that'll make it possible. This research is definitely a net positive.
  - NAFV_P 13y ago
    > This research is definitely a net positive. I couldn't agree more, but that knowledge can be abused.
  - vacri 13y ago
    Viruses are the only way to change the DNA of a living human Radiation can also change the DNA, and radiotherapy can also be used to cure some cancers.
    - TeMPOraL 13y ago
      There's a difference between "change" as in "modify in a precise manner without killing the organism", "change" as in "mutate stuff randomly", and "change" as in "breed, irradiate, let the weak die, repeat until you have a population with characteristics you want". Viruses can do the first one; radiation only the latter two.
  - sanxiyn 13y ago
    Won't CRISPR work in the future, instead of using viruses? It's almost there.
  - ericd 13y ago
    You're assuming that humans attaining immortality is a good thing. That's anything but a foregone conclusion.
    - vdaniuk 13y ago
      What?! Could you please point to a logical system of views and values that would not assume indefinitely prolonging human life is a good thing?
      - waps 13y ago
        First, there does not exist a known logical system that is more complex than first order logic. In order for such a system to exist, it would at the very least be able to prove it's own consistency, otherwise it's merely a wild guess whether it's "logical" or not. Since that premise itself violates logic (a proof exists that the only consistent logical systems that prove their own consistency are wrong). So when it comes to "a logical system of views and values", that does not exist. When it comes to systems of views and values that do not assume indefinitely prolonging human life is a good thing : 1) all religions (meaning this is what > 6 billion people on this planet think) 2) when it comes to people over 75 or so, I find it very rare to find ones that don't want to die. It baffles me that I actually know people that old other than my grandfather. I'm getting old. Oh well. 3) various atheist systems of views and values, all boil down to malthusianism of course, but they include : socialism (communism/marxism/leninism and "other" socialist views), nazism, libertarians (to some extent, according to wikipedia), conservatives, "free market enthousiasts", feminists and human rights advocates. [1] 4) economics would have a few words to say on the subject. I don't think it's as simple as you propose. I may or may not chose to become immortal ... but I'd still like the option. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthusianism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthusianism
      - ufmace 13y ago
        For prolonging life 'indefinitely', I'd say it's anything but a foregone conclusion. Possible issues: The world population is getting bigger and bigger. AFAIK, we don't have a real solid idea how many people the Earth can really support. Growth seems to be tapering off a bit now, which is probably a good thing. If we keep the same birth rate and massively decrease the death rate, the population will boom fast. I have to doubt that our society is equipped to deal with these issues well right now. A great deal of social advancement seems to come from older generations dying off, and taking their prejudices, grudges, and viewpoints with them. What will our society look like if large numbers of people stop dying off eventually? I have nothing solid here, but it's something we ought to look at real hard before we go around extending lifespans indefinitely.
  - yareally 13y ago
    > Viruses are the only way to change the DNA of a living human Not entirely true. Radiation exposure will also alter one's DNA. It may not be the desired result, but it will alter one's DNA nonetheless.
- Fomite 13y ago
  Nature has plenty of weapons all her own for someone to pick from.
bluedevil2k 13y ago
Unfortunately there's a massive outbreak in Syria right now, big enough I was encouraged to get a booster shot before I went to Israel.
- aestra 13y ago
  Only if you consider 17 cases in the past year "massive" and no cases in the last 3 months. http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek/Poliocasesworldwide.aspx http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisw...
- sushirain 13y ago
  In 2013 polio came through Egypt (probably) to Israel and Syria. Israel had to return to regular OPV when regular sewage tests returned positive, but no case of infection was reported.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
nealabq 13y ago
Meanwhile in Pakistan the Taliban has banned polio vaccination. http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/vaccinators-refuse-to-join-pak-polio-drive-due-to-threats/ http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/vaccinators-refu...
- middleclick 13y ago
  It has mostly got to do with health workers who were at risk because the clerics and Taliban threatened them. They also spread the misinformation that vaccinations are a Western conspiracy against Pakistanis to sterilise and reduce the population of Muslims. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/nov/04/polio-vaccination-pakistan http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/nov/04/... Sadly, most people in these areas are uneducated and they believe what the clerics tell them. The health workers were literally risking their lives.
  - ealexhudson 13y ago
    It didn't help that it turned out the CIA were running "fake" vaccination campaigns to gather information though - that would have helped confirm suspicions in the eyes of anyone, not just the uneducated.
    - pjg 13y ago
      That's how they got Bin Laden's hideout confirmation. By running a fake vaccination campaign to get his children inoculated and collect and match the DNA to confirm his presence. Unfortunate side-effect
      - auctiontheory 13y ago
        Unfortunate side-effect May be unfortunate, but it's also highly predictable. "Solving" one problem to create a much larger (longer-lasting) one has been a cornerstone of our foreign policy.
        13y ago
lifeisstillgood 13y ago
Fantastic news. The chances of humanity actually managing to get its shit together and make it past this century just ticked up a tiny tiny amount.
erikb 13y ago
Am I the only one who can't read this because it requires some kind of login?
- DanBC 13y ago
  Try clearing cookies or using incognito mode.
- Cadsby 13y ago
  Copy and past the headline into a Google search. Paywalls generally don't block links from social media or search engines.
  - logicallee 13y ago
    Link that should take you straight there: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303848104579312453860810752.html&ei=tiPTUsr_DYe0ywPA1IKQBg&usg=AFQjCNHDx6PsLz2H9Vpqj7sA5qa06LPX-Q&sig2=UuPQdpt5Tw9O4n1UKrWdZQ&bvm=bv.59026428,d.bGQ https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c... (Details: Google actually serves redirect pages in its results page, to track which results are clicked. I copied the URL I was served rather than clicking it and allowing my browser to redirect, so you can click it too and look like you're coming from Google :). )
jigen 13y ago
This is the result of one of the biggest vaccination drives ever. Great work by India's central governement, various state governements, WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and various other NGOs and volunteers.
- middleclick 13y ago
  The Gates Foundation had a very significant role in this.
  - jigen 13y ago
    NO. The Gates foundation's contribution to this initiative spanning several decades is not very significant.
    - frakkingcylons 13y ago
      I suppose they may have only been involved since 2009, however the Foundation has already contributed $1.2 billion with another 1.8 billion on the way. Of course, as you mentioned, much credit goes to "various governments, the WHO, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Unicef."
      - jigen 13y ago
        The work done by the Gates foundation is admirable. But the $1.2 billion was donated to the Rotary International for the Global Polio Eradication initiative, not exclusively to be used in India. In fact, it's not even clear if any of that was used in India at all. Moreover India itself has donated $1.3 billion for the Global Polio Eradication initiative.
        brudgers 13y ago
        The Gates foundation offered a $100 million matching grant to Rotary International's Polio Plus program in 2009. The intial matching grant and subsequent increases have been matched by Rotary's members. https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-and-gates-foundation-extend-fundraising-agreement-end-polio https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-and-gates-foundation-extend... The reason the Gates Foundation got involved was to help fund the final push to eradicate Polio.
pg 13y ago
This is bigger news than most news stories you'll read this year, or this decade for that matter.
- namityadav 13y ago
  Yes, we need to share and celebrate this kind of news a lot more. Link to the UNICEF site for those who can't read the WSJ article - http://www.unicef.org/india/health_3729.htm http://www.unicef.org/india/health_3729.htm
  - theGimp 13y ago
    This should work if you want to look at the WSJ article -- they let you through their paywall if your referer is Google https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CC4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303848104579312453860810752.html&ei=OxjTUonkAva2sAT18IGYDQ&usg=AFQjCNHDx6PsLz2H9Vpqj7sA5qa06LPX-Q&sig2=RcpJawCSZwxXm8ajAgvYaQ&bvm=bv.59026428,d.cWc https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c...
- linux_devil 13y ago
  Hats off to Polio Vaccination campaign which takes place here in India . They really did a hard work . Broadcasting services spreading message related to vaccination and "door -to-door" free service of vaccination made it all possible with the help of NGO's.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- monsterix 13y ago
  Here's the man credited to have started the polio eradication program in 1994. https://twitter.com/drharshvardhan https://twitter.com/drharshvardhan Dr. Harsh Vardhan has keenly taken it to its fruitful conclusion as well. The initiative to check polio started way back in 1978, with permanently disabled population still available across 5 alive generations. This number is likely to shrink rapidly in the next two decades, provided the polio vaccination program is kept abreast with advancing deadliness of poliovirus [1] and state's ability to maintain free vaccination. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poliovirus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poliovirus [Edited: Span of generations across which polio afflicted patients could be found is 5 and not 3 as per my original comment.]
ankitml 13y ago
"India frees itself from polio" Manages, makes it sound like a fluke. They could have used a better verb for an amazing achievement. It was a very big grassroot level movement for decades.
- cpfohl 13y ago
  I like "Manages" it gives them full credit for the work they did...A manager takes care of details to encourage a project's success...no fluke there unless you're talking about a 'pointy haired boss' type of manager.
  - bluedino 13y ago
    In that case it describes how they did it. Quickly, slowly, etc. 'Manages' in that case is not a flattering word.
- aestra 13y ago
  I think they mean manages because it was a very difficult achievement with significant hurdles. It's like if I had a difficult time with school but I worked hard at it and I say "I managed to graduate."
amvp 13y ago
Which by itself is great news. The Indian program involves giving multiple doses of the oral vaccine to babes (Pulse Polio). Unfortunately the number of does of the oral vaccine babies receive is correlated with AFP - Accute Flacid Paralysis - a tragedy similar to the paralysis caused by polio. http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/polio-free-does-not-mean-paralysis-free/article4266043.ece http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/polio-free-does-not-mea... In some states babies are getting over a dozen doses. A move to the injectible vaccine will reduce this risk, but since the injectible vaccine costs a lot more it's likely the coverage will fall.
- jacalata 13y ago
  I'd characterize that article as saying it "may be" correlated at strongest - sounds like the WHO says oral doses have been decreasing for years while AFP cases were still increasing?
motyar 13y ago
How I can make it go viral? Congrats, its a big news.
- ForHackernews 13y ago
  > How I can make it go viral? You can't. They're all vaccinated now. ;)
niyazpk 13y ago
Really happy about this news. I cannot imagine how much effort it takes to fight against the misconceptions and prejudices of various local groups to achieve this massive milestone. I am still worried though. I have seen large groups of people who still refuse to vaccinate the newborns in their community. The ignorance and misinformation that is widespread even in the supposedly well educated stratas of society is just mind boggling. I know many well educated people (some are teachers!) who have not given ANY vaccination to their newborns. A few months ago, my father (a doctor) had a visitor from his native village. The visitor (who was a distant relative too) had come to consult dad about his ailments. One of his hands was disabled. While we were having coffee, the guy asked dad about the polio vaccination drive that is happening in the village and how he and the others are not vaccinating the infants. They believe that America is trying to sterilize muslims to reduce the population. They believe that vaccination can cause autism etc. So dad reminded our visitor that his hand is disabled because he had caught polio in his childhood. STILL, the dude was arguing with my dad. Needless to say, I was furious at the state of affairs for the next few days :(
- acchow 13y ago
  > So dad reminded our visitor that his hand is disabled because he had caught polio in his childhood. STILL, the dude was arguing with my dad. This is unfortunate, but from his perspective his disabled hand is orthogonal to the belief that the vaccination is tainted with some poison/sterilizer.
rikacomet 13y ago
I must say this clearly, in the interest of that is the truth: Eradication of Polio, was a Nation and its people, combined effort, of years and decades, through struggle and patience. First, the people in the West, who provided the means in form of the vaccine, and the constant push to keep the wheel running. Then the politicians, to set aside their differences, to accept what is for the good of all, both Congress/BJP held the govt and supported this cause without differences during the last 20 years. Thirdly the whole fraternity of Polio workers and Associated services for the time of their life. Fourthly, the families of the people involved for their patience, and sacrifice. And Last but not the least, for people specially parents accross all demographies to actually realize, the future of their kids, the promise of a normal life to their kids, the future generation of this nation is in their own hand. So they must come out in force-en-masse to achieve which is still far away, yet getting closer.. and today, in this time and age we have finally achieved what we set out to do years ago through a combined effort. Now if someone as if dares to spit on that true wonder of human struggle, for personal satisfaction of supporting a political party, or a person.. putting them up as the lone saviour, disgrace and wrath of everything be upon such a person. (God have mercy on such a man) Also, I love HN, as it is... dispite what Pushy Politics was played by forged accounts, and vested interests in the comment section of Indian Websites, HN was always clean of such mess, and I thank the people responsible for that. So, lets keep this that way. This is Personal, if you haven't got it by now! http://media.cleveland.com/world_impact/photo/10442222-large.jpg http://media.cleveland.com/world_impact/photo/10442222-large... PS: The Punchline for Indian Polio program was-- Do Boond Zindagi Ke(2 Drops of Life) One of the adverts (WITH ENG SUBS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbCEualxnRs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbCEualxnRs
rtpg 13y ago
Not even 100 years before even the most powerful man in the world could do nothing to fight this disease, now even the least fortunate can avoid having to suffer from this. A great victory for humankind.
A258 13y ago
weeee
known 13y ago
Indian regime is spending $1 billion/year on space research when 50% of its children are malnourished. http://m.timesofindia.com/india/Every-second-Indian-child-is-malnourished-Report/articleshow/25724848.cms http://m.timesofindia.com/india/Every-second-Indian-child-is...

380 points by smaug7 13y ago

As long as a rogue agent doesn't get their hands on this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/2122619.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/2122619.stm

waps 13y ago
Viruses are the only way to change the DNA of a living human, and that's the only way you're ever going to cure cancer, or fix things like diabetes, or ... Plus it would allow for far more effective treatments for nearly any disease. If you ever want to be immortal, or even 150, it's an infection with a virus that'll make it possible. This research is definitely a net positive.
- NAFV_P 13y ago
  > This research is definitely a net positive. I couldn't agree more, but that knowledge can be abused.
- vacri 13y ago
  Viruses are the only way to change the DNA of a living human Radiation can also change the DNA, and radiotherapy can also be used to cure some cancers.
  - TeMPOraL 13y ago
    There's a difference between "change" as in "modify in a precise manner without killing the organism", "change" as in "mutate stuff randomly", and "change" as in "breed, irradiate, let the weak die, repeat until you have a population with characteristics you want". Viruses can do the first one; radiation only the latter two.
- sanxiyn 13y ago
  Won't CRISPR work in the future, instead of using viruses? It's almost there.
- ericd 13y ago
  You're assuming that humans attaining immortality is a good thing. That's anything but a foregone conclusion.
  - vdaniuk 13y ago
    What?! Could you please point to a logical system of views and values that would not assume indefinitely prolonging human life is a good thing?
    - waps 13y ago
      First, there does not exist a known logical system that is more complex than first order logic. In order for such a system to exist, it would at the very least be able to prove it's own consistency, otherwise it's merely a wild guess whether it's "logical" or not. Since that premise itself violates logic (a proof exists that the only consistent logical systems that prove their own consistency are wrong). So when it comes to "a logical system of views and values", that does not exist. When it comes to systems of views and values that do not assume indefinitely prolonging human life is a good thing : 1) all religions (meaning this is what > 6 billion people on this planet think) 2) when it comes to people over 75 or so, I find it very rare to find ones that don't want to die. It baffles me that I actually know people that old other than my grandfather. I'm getting old. Oh well. 3) various atheist systems of views and values, all boil down to malthusianism of course, but they include : socialism (communism/marxism/leninism and "other" socialist views), nazism, libertarians (to some extent, according to wikipedia), conservatives, "free market enthousiasts", feminists and human rights advocates. [1] 4) economics would have a few words to say on the subject. I don't think it's as simple as you propose. I may or may not chose to become immortal ... but I'd still like the option. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthusianism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthusianism
    - ufmace 13y ago
      For prolonging life 'indefinitely', I'd say it's anything but a foregone conclusion. Possible issues: The world population is getting bigger and bigger. AFAIK, we don't have a real solid idea how many people the Earth can really support. Growth seems to be tapering off a bit now, which is probably a good thing. If we keep the same birth rate and massively decrease the death rate, the population will boom fast. I have to doubt that our society is equipped to deal with these issues well right now. A great deal of social advancement seems to come from older generations dying off, and taking their prejudices, grudges, and viewpoints with them. What will our society look like if large numbers of people stop dying off eventually? I have nothing solid here, but it's something we ought to look at real hard before we go around extending lifespans indefinitely.
- yareally 13y ago
  > Viruses are the only way to change the DNA of a living human Not entirely true. Radiation exposure will also alter one's DNA. It may not be the desired result, but it will alter one's DNA nonetheless.
Fomite 13y ago
Nature has plenty of weapons all her own for someone to pick from.

bluedevil2k 13y ago

Unfortunately there's a massive outbreak in Syria right now, big enough I was encouraged to get a booster shot before I went to Israel.

aestra 13y ago
Only if you consider 17 cases in the past year "massive" and no cases in the last 3 months. http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek/Poliocasesworldwide.aspx http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisw...
sushirain 13y ago
In 2013 polio came through Egypt (probably) to Israel and Syria. Israel had to return to regular OPV when regular sewage tests returned positive, but no case of infection was reported.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

nealabq 13y ago

Meanwhile in Pakistan the Taliban has banned polio vaccination. http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/vaccinators-refuse-to-join-pak-polio-drive-due-to-threats/ http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/vaccinators-refu...

middleclick 13y ago
It has mostly got to do with health workers who were at risk because the clerics and Taliban threatened them. They also spread the misinformation that vaccinations are a Western conspiracy against Pakistanis to sterilise and reduce the population of Muslims. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/nov/04/polio-vaccination-pakistan http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/nov/04/... Sadly, most people in these areas are uneducated and they believe what the clerics tell them. The health workers were literally risking their lives.
- ealexhudson 13y ago
  It didn't help that it turned out the CIA were running "fake" vaccination campaigns to gather information though - that would have helped confirm suspicions in the eyes of anyone, not just the uneducated.
  - pjg 13y ago
    That's how they got Bin Laden's hideout confirmation. By running a fake vaccination campaign to get his children inoculated and collect and match the DNA to confirm his presence. Unfortunate side-effect
    - auctiontheory 13y ago
      Unfortunate side-effect May be unfortunate, but it's also highly predictable. "Solving" one problem to create a much larger (longer-lasting) one has been a cornerstone of our foreign policy.
      - 13y ago

lifeisstillgood 13y ago

Fantastic news. The chances of humanity actually managing to get its shit together and make it past this century just ticked up a tiny tiny amount.

erikb 13y ago

Am I the only one who can't read this because it requires some kind of login?

DanBC 13y ago
Try clearing cookies or using incognito mode.
Cadsby 13y ago
Copy and past the headline into a Google search. Paywalls generally don't block links from social media or search engines.
- logicallee 13y ago
  Link that should take you straight there: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303848104579312453860810752.html&ei=tiPTUsr_DYe0ywPA1IKQBg&usg=AFQjCNHDx6PsLz2H9Vpqj7sA5qa06LPX-Q&sig2=UuPQdpt5Tw9O4n1UKrWdZQ&bvm=bv.59026428,d.bGQ https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c... (Details: Google actually serves redirect pages in its results page, to track which results are clicked. I copied the URL I was served rather than clicking it and allowing my browser to redirect, so you can click it too and look like you're coming from Google :). )

jigen 13y ago

This is the result of one of the biggest vaccination drives ever. Great work by India's central governement, various state governements, WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and various other NGOs and volunteers.

middleclick 13y ago
The Gates Foundation had a very significant role in this.
- jigen 13y ago
  NO. The Gates foundation's contribution to this initiative spanning several decades is not very significant.
  - frakkingcylons 13y ago
    I suppose they may have only been involved since 2009, however the Foundation has already contributed $1.2 billion with another 1.8 billion on the way. Of course, as you mentioned, much credit goes to "various governments, the WHO, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Unicef."
    - jigen 13y ago
      The work done by the Gates foundation is admirable. But the $1.2 billion was donated to the Rotary International for the Global Polio Eradication initiative, not exclusively to be used in India. In fact, it's not even clear if any of that was used in India at all. Moreover India itself has donated $1.3 billion for the Global Polio Eradication initiative.
      - brudgers 13y ago
        The Gates foundation offered a $100 million matching grant to Rotary International's Polio Plus program in 2009. The intial matching grant and subsequent increases have been matched by Rotary's members. https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-and-gates-foundation-extend-fundraising-agreement-end-polio https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-and-gates-foundation-extend... The reason the Gates Foundation got involved was to help fund the final push to eradicate Polio.

pg 13y ago

This is bigger news than most news stories you'll read this year, or this decade for that matter.

namityadav 13y ago
Yes, we need to share and celebrate this kind of news a lot more. Link to the UNICEF site for those who can't read the WSJ article - http://www.unicef.org/india/health_3729.htm http://www.unicef.org/india/health_3729.htm
- theGimp 13y ago
  This should work if you want to look at the WSJ article -- they let you through their paywall if your referer is Google https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CC4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303848104579312453860810752.html&ei=OxjTUonkAva2sAT18IGYDQ&usg=AFQjCNHDx6PsLz2H9Vpqj7sA5qa06LPX-Q&sig2=RcpJawCSZwxXm8ajAgvYaQ&bvm=bv.59026428,d.cWc https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c...
linux_devil 13y ago
Hats off to Polio Vaccination campaign which takes place here in India . They really did a hard work . Broadcasting services spreading message related to vaccination and "door -to-door" free service of vaccination made it all possible with the help of NGO's.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
monsterix 13y ago
Here's the man credited to have started the polio eradication program in 1994. https://twitter.com/drharshvardhan https://twitter.com/drharshvardhan Dr. Harsh Vardhan has keenly taken it to its fruitful conclusion as well. The initiative to check polio started way back in 1978, with permanently disabled population still available across 5 alive generations. This number is likely to shrink rapidly in the next two decades, provided the polio vaccination program is kept abreast with advancing deadliness of poliovirus [1] and state's ability to maintain free vaccination. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poliovirus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poliovirus [Edited: Span of generations across which polio afflicted patients could be found is 5 and not 3 as per my original comment.]

ankitml 13y ago

"India frees itself from polio" Manages, makes it sound like a fluke. They could have used a better verb for an amazing achievement. It was a very big grassroot level movement for decades.

cpfohl 13y ago
I like "Manages" it gives them full credit for the work they did...A manager takes care of details to encourage a project's success...no fluke there unless you're talking about a 'pointy haired boss' type of manager.
- bluedino 13y ago
  In that case it describes how they did it. Quickly, slowly, etc. 'Manages' in that case is not a flattering word.
aestra 13y ago
I think they mean manages because it was a very difficult achievement with significant hurdles. It's like if I had a difficult time with school but I worked hard at it and I say "I managed to graduate."

amvp 13y ago

Which by itself is great news. The Indian program involves giving multiple doses of the oral vaccine to babes (Pulse Polio). Unfortunately the number of does of the oral vaccine babies receive is correlated with AFP - Accute Flacid Paralysis - a tragedy similar to the paralysis caused by polio. http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/polio-free-does-not-mean-paralysis-free/article4266043.ece http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/polio-free-does-not-mea... In some states babies are getting over a dozen doses. A move to the injectible vaccine will reduce this risk, but since the injectible vaccine costs a lot more it's likely the coverage will fall.

jacalata 13y ago
I'd characterize that article as saying it "may be" correlated at strongest - sounds like the WHO says oral doses have been decreasing for years while AFP cases were still increasing?

motyar 13y ago

How I can make it go viral? Congrats, its a big news.

ForHackernews 13y ago
> How I can make it go viral? You can't. They're all vaccinated now. ;)

niyazpk 13y ago

Really happy about this news. I cannot imagine how much effort it takes to fight against the misconceptions and prejudices of various local groups to achieve this massive milestone. I am still worried though. I have seen large groups of people who still refuse to vaccinate the newborns in their community. The ignorance and misinformation that is widespread even in the supposedly well educated stratas of society is just mind boggling. I know many well educated people (some are teachers!) who have not given ANY vaccination to their newborns. A few months ago, my father (a doctor) had a visitor from his native village. The visitor (who was a distant relative too) had come to consult dad about his ailments. One of his hands was disabled. While we were having coffee, the guy asked dad about the polio vaccination drive that is happening in the village and how he and the others are not vaccinating the infants. They believe that America is trying to sterilize muslims to reduce the population. They believe that vaccination can cause autism etc. So dad reminded our visitor that his hand is disabled because he had caught polio in his childhood. STILL, the dude was arguing with my dad. Needless to say, I was furious at the state of affairs for the next few days :(

acchow 13y ago
> So dad reminded our visitor that his hand is disabled because he had caught polio in his childhood. STILL, the dude was arguing with my dad. This is unfortunate, but from his perspective his disabled hand is orthogonal to the belief that the vaccination is tainted with some poison/sterilizer.

rikacomet 13y ago

I must say this clearly, in the interest of that is the truth: Eradication of Polio, was a Nation and its people, combined effort, of years and decades, through struggle and patience. First, the people in the West, who provided the means in form of the vaccine, and the constant push to keep the wheel running. Then the politicians, to set aside their differences, to accept what is for the good of all, both Congress/BJP held the govt and supported this cause without differences during the last 20 years. Thirdly the whole fraternity of Polio workers and Associated services for the time of their life. Fourthly, the families of the people involved for their patience, and sacrifice. And Last but not the least, for people specially parents accross all demographies to actually realize, the future of their kids, the promise of a normal life to their kids, the future generation of this nation is in their own hand. So they must come out in force-en-masse to achieve which is still far away, yet getting closer.. and today, in this time and age we have finally achieved what we set out to do years ago through a combined effort. Now if someone as if dares to spit on that true wonder of human struggle, for personal satisfaction of supporting a political party, or a person.. putting them up as the lone saviour, disgrace and wrath of everything be upon such a person. (God have mercy on such a man) Also, I love HN, as it is... dispite what Pushy Politics was played by forged accounts, and vested interests in the comment section of Indian Websites, HN was always clean of such mess, and I thank the people responsible for that. So, lets keep this that way. This is Personal, if you haven't got it by now! http://media.cleveland.com/world_impact/photo/10442222-large.jpg http://media.cleveland.com/world_impact/photo/10442222-large... PS: The Punchline for Indian Polio program was-- Do Boond Zindagi Ke(2 Drops of Life) One of the adverts (WITH ENG SUBS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbCEualxnRs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbCEualxnRs

rtpg 13y ago

Not even 100 years before even the most powerful man in the world could do nothing to fight this disease, now even the least fortunate can avoid having to suffer from this. A great victory for humankind.

A258 13y ago

weeee

known 13y ago

Indian regime is spending $1 billion/year on space research when 50% of its children are malnourished. http://m.timesofindia.com/india/Every-second-Indian-child-is-malnourished-Report/articleshow/25724848.cms http://m.timesofindia.com/india/Every-second-Indian-child-is...