Suspected case of polio in Gurgaon

Gurgaon, Jan 24 (IANS) A suspected case of polio has been reported from near Gurgaon and samples of an 18-month-old girl child have been sent for tests, a doctor said Saturday.

Symptoms of polio were noticed in the child in Heli Mandi near Pataudi, around 30 km from Gurgaon city.

The child's grandfather said she was the younger daughter of her parents, and her right leg was affected.

Her right leg suddenly went numb 10 days ago when she was playing inside the house.

"We took her to a private doctor who said it was polio," a family member said.

Two other doctors were consulted and they had similar views regarding the disease. The case was then brought to the notice of doctors at the civil hospital.

"We believe the case may be of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) that can happen due to many reasons. AFP is a sudden onset, as might be found with polio," civil surgeon Pushpa Bishnoi told IANS.

Samples of the child were sent to the Central Research Institute in Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh a week ago.

"The case is under investigation. It will take about 10 days to get the results. People need not panic as such tests are a routine matter. Last year, 75 such reports were sought and all turned out negative. This was the first sample sent this year and we hope this report will be negative too," she said.

The child was immunised for polio many times and doctors are investigating the cause for the infection.

India was declared a polio-free country by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2011. Polio, however, still exists in many countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Somalia.