NEW DELHI: : Out of the total 203 cases of polio reported from across the country this year, 201 had received polio vaccines. This was stated by the Health Ministry in a reply in Parliament.

While this raises doubts about the efficacy of the polio drops, Health Ministry officials said this could have happened due to inadequate intake of the vaccine.

A senior official in the World Health Organisation also said: “This could have happened as they may not have got enough polio drops to develop full immunity.”

A Health Ministry official also said that the nutritional status of the child should also be considered. “Undernourished children cannot produce good antibodies. As a result, the vaccine becomes ineffective. About 54.3 per cent children are victims of malnutrition and hence the failure rate,” he said.

Apart from malnutrition, high population density, overcrowding, poor sanitation and ignorance contribute to the high incidence of polio in the state.

Quoting a latest study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in Moradabad, the official said: “According to them, children above three years of age in Moradabad are well protected from polio as they have received adequate doses. However, children from 6-12 months are not receiving adequate doses. The international health agencies say that a child should get at least 15-16 doses to develop full immunity against the disease,” he said.