65 lakh children given pulse polio in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government kick-started the second phase of the pulse polio immunisation campaign on Sunday with close to 65 lakh children below five years receiving the oral form of the vaccine on the first day.
Health minister C Vijayabaskar inaugurated the campaign at Kamarajapuram in Pudukottai.

Director of public health K Kolandaswamy said the drive would go on for a week. “On Monday and Tuesday, we will be conducting door-to-door campaigns to ensure no child is missed,” he said, adding that PHCs would be offering the drops round the clock.

The health department set up 43,051 booths in all primary health care centres, government hospitals, integrated child development services centres, noon meal centres and schools across the state. The booths will function from 7am to 5pm.

All children in the 0-5 years age group, including those who were given oral drops of the vaccine in the first phase, are required to be brought to these booths. To identify missed out children, officials will mark the fingers of vaccinated children with indelible ink. Private paediatricians also will administer polio drops in their clinics as part of the nationwide intensified pulse polio immunisation campaign.

In addition to the regular booths in institutions, the department has set up 1,652 transit booths at major bus stands, railway stations, toll plazas, check-posts and airports. Around 1,000 mobile teams have also been formed to administer polio drops to children living in remote, inaccessible and migrant areas. The government has mobilised two lakh personnel for the drive.

Tamil Nadu is entering its 14th polio-free year. Kolandaswamy said around 70.41 lakh children were covered in the first phase of the drive that began on January 28.