After no polio, India aims to eradicate measles: Azad

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After registering a zero-polio period in the last one year, India will now be aiming at eradicating measles, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said here on Sunday.

"India still accounts for two-thirds of measles deaths across the world. We have to address all concerns associated with the measles now," Azad said at the two-day polio summit here.

The minister emphasized on strengthening routine immunisation that can help control the infectious diseases in India's remote districts. The contagious disease is spread due to a virus that shows symptoms after 8 to 12 days of infection.

"We have learned lessons from our journey against polio. The National Rural Health Mission will help prevent measles with improved coverage of remote regions," Azad added.

India was taken off the list of polio endemic countries by the global health body World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday. The last new polio case in India was reported Jan 13, 2011, involving a two-year-old girl in West Bengal.