Loopholes in the polio immunisation programme in Himachal Pradesh seemed to have led to a fresh case of polio detected in a two-year-old child of a migrant family from Uttar Pradesh. The boy, who stayed in Nalagarh slum of Solan, was never covered under the National Immunisation Days (NID), the only immunisation programme followed in the state.

The case was detected on November 17, when the child was in his home town Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, a few days after his family left Himachal, said Director Health Services Nagesh Sharma. The child was staying in Himachal when he contracted the polio virus, which travels through faeco-oral route. His home was located in a cluster of nearly 11 slums in the industrial area with poor sanitation. After the condition of the child deteriorated, his parents took him to Badaun.

“It is still to be found out whether other children living in these slums were also left out in the NIDs,” said Dr G P Dwivedi, WHO representative for National Polio Surveillance Project in Himachal. The affected child was never administered polio vaccine and was now detected with P3 type polio virus, he added.

Following the detection, the government has swung into action and geared up for an immediate mop-up round of polio immunisation in entire Solan and the adjoining districts of Bilaspur and Una to prevent any outbreak.

“Sirmaur and Shimla districts are also under consideration. A drive to test the presence of virus among other children in the adjoining slums and districts is also underway,” he said.

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