Polio cases in India have drastically fallen as compared to last year, according to a recent report by Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a wing of World Health Organisation (WHO).

India’s 2010 record on polio shows only 41 new cases as against 672 in 2009. Out of the 41 cases from India, 19 are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, two of the most affected states, compared to 600 cases last year only from these two states.

According to WHO, this is a significant development as India is one of the four most affected country by polio virus. The other three are Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The report says, “Both India and Nigeria continue to report historic low levels of virus transmission, particularly in key reservoir areas, despite the high season for transmission. This presents both national and international opportunities, given that both countries continued to export virus internationally in 2010.”

Efforts to target migrating population and to eradicate are on a rise in the country to target the migrating population and to eradicate polio from the country, the report says.