Indian infant who contracted polio virus from vaccine moved out of intensive care unit

(http://health.india.com) Arsh Singh, an infant who got polio after being administered the vaccine last month in India, has reportedly seen improvement and has been moved out of the ICU. Arsh is the fourth child in India to develop polio from the polio vaccine in a 17-month period.

The infant was on a ventilator for over a month, but is now able to breathe on his own.

Arsh has also seen improvement in mobility. His father, Tejbahadur said, "There is movement in his legs but upper body is still paralysed. Doctors say it will take a month or more for further improvement."

The cost of hospitalization and treatment is being paid for by the state government. Arsh was brought to the hospital on July 11, after his parents spent days administering him medicine in the wake of the polio vaccine's harmful effects.

According to civic records, Illthanpada, Navi Mumbai, where Arsh's family lives, has a 95% polio vaccination coverage. Despite the high vaccination rate and the adverse effects seen with the polio vaccine, Dr. Satish Pawa, the Director of the Directorate of Health Services, said, "We have intensified our polio vaccination programme in this area; that's the only key to win against the virus."

He then went on to say, "A polio drive will be undertaken in Navi Mumbai. If there are homes where children haven't been administered drops, officials will be told to do so."