Deconstructing social resistance to pulse polio campaign in two North Indian districts.

Abstract

While the programs focus was on microbiological issues, the obstacles to polio eradication lie in the endemicity of social (and/or cultural) resistance in some pockets, leading to clustering of perpetually unimmunized children - inspite of good coverage of SIAs at macro level. This may sustain low levels of wild poliovirus transmission, and there can be exceptions to the robustness of the pulse approach. A micro level involvement of volunteers from marginalized pockets of minorities might be able to minimize or eliminate this resistance.