Indian Express 02.08.2010
Mayor for Bill to battle Post-Polio Syndrome
Express News Service Tags : government, Polio Posted: Mon Aug 02 2010, 01:35 hrs
Vadodara: Vadodara mayor and BJP Parliamentarian Balkrishna Shukla on Sunday said he plans to move a private Bill in the ongoing session of Parliament seeking government action over the growing risk of Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS). He was speaking at a seminar organised by the Vadodara branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA), which was attended by around 200 doctors from Gujarat.The purpose of the Bill is to create awareness and make government formulate strategies to fight PPS, Shukla said. PPS is characterised by the weakening of muscles in people previously affected by polio in their childhood. It afflicts people in the age group of 30-35 years, but unlike polio, is not life-threatening.
Shukla said: “We intend to introduce a private member’s Bill on PPS in Parliament during the current session as a whopping 80 lakh people are affected by PPS in India.”
Medical experts opined that the government needs to make policy intervention right from the level of infrastructure to the creation of job opportunities for those affected by PPS. “There are about 20,000 people in Gujarat and 1.2 lakh in India who have contracted poliomyelitis. But we still do not have a survey of the number of people who suffer from PPS,” said Dr Shagun Desai from Vadodara.
Dr Yogesh Bhatt, president of the city unit of IMA said they will launch an awareness programme on PPS, as it is important for the victims of polio and their families. Proper sleep, a well-balanced diet and avoiding unhealthy habits like smoking and overeating, along with an exercise regimen can help alleviate the sufferings of people afflicted by PPS.
