Qualitative study of wild polio cases in high risk districts of Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Background: India has implemented a polio eradication strategy which includes national immunization days and house-to-house visits. While there has been a reduction in wild polio cases, a few districts in some states continue to harbour the virus. We did a qualitative survey in certain districts of western Uttar Pradesh to determine the reasons for continued occurrence of wild polio cases.

Methods: Five districts of western Uttar Pradesh were selected where 10 confirmed cases of polio were studied in their local settings using qualitative tools.

Results: All 10 cases were below 5 years of age and belonged to the poor socioeconomic group. Except 3, all had received some doses of oral polio vaccine before the onset of illness. The majority of parents had a 'feeling of guilt' and blamed the 'bad destiny of their child' for the disease. There was a strong belief that the 'polio vaccine is mixed with substances which can cause infertility' and that it was 'used for a particular community'.

Conclusion: Prevailing misconceptions and adverse attitudes to the polio vaccine need to be tackled urgently and sensitively to make the programme successful.