Karnataka is no longer a polio free state this year because of a confirmed case of the virus disease from Upparhalli village under the Devasamudra Primary Health Centre in Hospet in Bellary district of north Karnataka. A state can be declared polio free only if there are no reports of the disease for three years consecutively.

Although the Karnataka government reports that in the last two years there were no polio cases detected in Karnataka, the fresh case detected, has led the government to announce a stringent door--to-door mop up operation programme.

The detection of a fresh polio case does not augur well as there is a possibility of it spreading, Kagodu Thimmappa, minister for health and family welfare, government of Karnataka said.

The task on hand by the State government is to go back to the programme which calls for six-months of polio immunisation annually. The government of India has approved the implementation for the 2003-04 polio programme which approximately covers 77 crore recipients to be achieved during six rounds of polio vaccination as against the 55 crore achieved in four months in 2002,said Dr. RK Kumarswamy, state nodal chief for epidemic diseases, department of health and family welfare, government of Karnataka.

The Government of India sponsored pulse polio immunisation programme has not been able to eradicate the virus, although it has been able to control the polio affected cases said a health department official on condition of anonymity.

The department of health and family welfare has not been able to provide any statistics but stated that southern parts of Karnataka are free from the polio virus unlike northern districts of the state which are more vulnerable

According to government officials, the virus could have attacked some more children in the region and the hunt was on diagnose the disease which has no serious clinical features but with symptoms similar to viral fever. A carrier-virus would have entered the State from regions in North India where polio is still rampant.

Since 2000, there were no polio cases detected in Karnataka. Ahead of an immunisation drive this year, the state government had announced that Karnataka was on its way to become a polio free state.

The state government has announced a massive polio immunisation programme in 10 North Karnataka districts. International agencies, World Health Organisation and UNICEF besides the central government are meeting in Hospet to chalk out a massive programme to check out the immunisation programme

In all 2.6 million children below five years of age are will be covered in the 100 percent polio vaccination programme. Three adjacent districts of Andhra Pradesh: Kurnool, Anantapur and Mehaboob Nagar will be covered.

National Institute of Virology, Pune said that the 18- moth old baby was afflicted with polio and his condition was improving. He has also been administered a second dose of polio drops.. The baby was initially diagnosed on May 5, 2003 as suffering from acute flashy paralysis. His stools samples were sent to the Virology department in Bangalore and to NIV for confirmation of the affliction from polio.

Dr. Kumaraswamy, said that said, "We are putting in all efforts to look in to the case and have door to door polio vaccine programme apart from enquiring on the health of babies that are the main victims of the deadly disease.

Though the southern states including Karnataka had achieved significant progress in controlling the disease, it is still prevalent in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

India contributes about 80 per cent of the total polio cases in the world. The WHO has set 2005 as the deadline for the eradication of the dreaded disease.