With India aiming at being a polio-free country by January 2014, health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday said an emergency preparedness and response plan has been put in place and any new case of polio would be declared as a public health emergency.

The minister said under the emergency plan, there is going to be “zero tolerance” for any new polio case in the country and the government was committed to implementing this plan in all the states.
“We are highly mindful of the risks that persist not only on account of indigenous transmission but also importation from other endemic countries. We have therefore put in place an emergency preparedness and response plan, which we are committed to implementing in all states across the country,” Mr Azad said at the launch of a nation-wide pulse polio campaign at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
He said, “There is going to be zero tolerance for any new polio case and any such case will be declared as a public health emergency.” The minister said rapid response teams have already been formed in all states and UTs to swiftly tackle any polio case in the country and all states.