When was India declared polio free by WHO?

MP CHO -2019 (Shift-2)

Community Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: MP CHO -2019 (Shift-2)

Explanation

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared India polio-free on March 27, 2014.
This certification is granted only after a country demonstrates three consecutive years with no new cases of wild poliovirus, alongside maintaining a high-quality surveillance system.
India's last reported case of wild polio occurred on January 13, 2011, in West Bengal.
Following the completion of the three-year polio-free period, the WHO certified the entire South-East Asia Region, including India, as polio-free.

Option A: This was the year the last case of wild polio was reported in India (January 13, 2011). It marks the beginning of the three-year countdown to certification, not the year of the declaration itself.
Option B: In 2012, the WHO removed India from the list of polio-endemic countries. While a significant step, this was an intermediate milestone and not the final polio-free certification.
Option C: This year marked the second full year without a reported polio case. The WHO requires three full years before granting polio-free status, so certification was not possible in 2013.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Public Health Milestone: Polio Eradication in India as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
The eradication of polio in India is a landmark achievement in public health, demonstrating the effectiveness of large-scale, sustained immunization programs like the Pulse Polio campaign.
For nurses, this success story underscores the critical importance of maintaining high vaccination coverage (herd immunity) and robust surveillance for Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) to prevent the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases.
What if? - If a suspected case of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) is reported today, the immediate nursing and public health priority is to investigate it as a potential polio case until proven otherwise. This highlights the need for continued vigilance even after eradication.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core of the question: it asks for the specific year India was declared polio-free by the WHO.
This is a factual recall question based on a major public health event. Your task is to remember the correct date from your studies.
Mentally review the timeline of polio eradication in India. Differentiate between key events: the last case, removal from the endemic list, and the final certification.
Recall that WHO certification requires a 3-year period of no cases. The last case was in early 2011.
Calculate: 2011 + 3 years = 2014. This makes 2014 the logical year for certification.
Select the option that matches this timeline. 2014 is the year of the official declaration.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart B (pp 202-403 of 604) pp. 60-62, 53-55