Polio transmission continues in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, but sustained high quality eradication efforts have stemmed the spread of the virus. There now is evidence that continued efforts might end polio transmission in India soon, one of three countries in the world with active polio epidemics.

USAID and its partners’ programs have contributed significantly to the decline of polio cases in the high-risk areas of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar – helping to reduce the number of infections nationwide from 1,600 in 2002 to approximately 864 in 2007. Applying some of the world’s most innovative and successful polio eradication strategies, USAID and its partners have:

• Helped develop a disease surveillance network that collects data and allows partners to track trends, respond quickly to outbreaks and employ best practices;
• Implemented an integrated, ongoing mass media and interpersonal communications campaign to encourage communities to vaccinate all children;
• Fostered social mobilization within resistant communities to promote polio eradication at all levels; and
• Worked with national, state, local and block-level decision makers to develop policies that promote and support vaccination.