NEW DELHI, India (BNO NEWS) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has removed India from its list of polio-endemic countries, Health and Family Planning Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Saturday.

The decision came after India successfully completed an entire year without an incidence of polio. The disease paralyzed thousands of children every year for several decades, the Hindu newspaper reported.

"WHO has taken India's name off the list of polio endemic countries in view of the remarkable progress that we have made during the past one year," Azad said at the Polio Summit 2012 in the Indian capital. However, India will have to remain polio free for two more years before it can be declared polio-free by the WHO in 2014.

"We have, therefore, put in place an Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan across the country. Under this plan, there is going to be zero tolerance for any new polio case and such a case will be declared as a public health emergency," Azad said. In addition, all states bordering the neighboring countries have been alerted to strengthen surveillance for early detection of any imported polio virus.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also emphasized the need for providing nutritious food, safe drinking water, proper sanitation and education, in addition to universal access to safe vaccines. "We must ensure every child, rich or poor, whether living in Ladakh or in Delhi, has equal access to the best immunization," he said.

There were only four countries in the WHO endemic list, including Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. India last reported a polio case on January 13, 2011 in West Bengal state.

In 2009, it reported 741 polio cases, more than anywhere else in the world. In 2010 only 42 cases were reported against 50,000 cases in 1995.

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