Addressing a workshop sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP),Ludhiana District Immunisation Officer Dr K S Saini said: "Out of 55,000 cases of AFP, only 42 cases were found suffering from polio last year. This year, only one polio case has been detected in India, in Kolkata."

He said: "Any child under 15 years of age and suffering from paralysis has two stool samples taken and sent to Kasauli for tests, on the basis of which it becomes clear whether polio is the cause of paralysis."

Dr Puneet Juneja of the civil surgeon's office said: "It has been observed that an acute lack of awareness has led to parents refraining from administering polio drops to children. In the workshop, master trainers from seven districts have been trained, who will further train health staff at grassroot level to raise awareness."

The aim of this workshop was to teach master-trainers how to detect and eradicate an AFP case out of the population. These workshops are part of the National Surveillance Program of WHO and are being organised in Amritsar, Bathinda and Ludhiana.