AP Targets to Administer Polio Drops to 54 L Children Today
In case the eligible children miss getting the vaccine for varied reasons on Sunday, the health personnel will visit their houses and administer the polio drops on Dec. 22 and 23 at their doorsteps.
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government will take up the pulse polio programme with a target to administer polio drops to over 54 lakh children aged below five years on Dec. 21 in the state.
Health and family welfare commissioner G. Veerapandian in a statement issued here on Saturday, announced that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at his camp office at Undavalli and health minister Satya Kumar Yadav at an urban health centre at Kakinada would officially launch the programme on Sunday.
The state health authorities have targeted 54.07 lakh children below five years of age and mobilised 98.99 lakh doses, and they even appointed nodal offices in the district to monitor the implementation of the programme.
Health minister Satya Kumar Yadav called upon the parents to come forward and ensure their children aged below five years get administration of the polio vaccine and advised them to cooperate with the health staff to administer the vaccine.
The authorities have arranged booths across the state to administer polio drops to the children, involving ANMs and ASHA workers and other health staff members.
In case the eligible children miss getting the vaccine for varied reasons on Sunday, the health personnel will visit their houses and administer the polio drops on Dec. 22 and 23 at their doorsteps. Transit teams will move around to find out about children and administer the polio drops, and transit booths are also arranged at bus stations, railway stations, airports, tourist places, markets and other places to give the polio vaccine.
Ensure every child receives polio drops: Collector
NTR district collector Dr G. Lakshmisha on Saturday urged parents to ensure that every child below five years receives polio drops, stressing that constant vigilance is essential even though India and Andhra Pradesh have eliminated the disease.
Flagging off a Pulse Polio Rally near the Old Government General Hospital in Vijayawada, the collector said collective efforts were required to achieve the goals of Swarna Andhra and Viksit Bharat, with Arogya Andhra as a core pillar. The rally was organised by the district medical and health department and inaugurated jointly by the collector and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation commissioner Dhyanchandra H.M., along with representatives of Rotary, Lions Clubs and the Indian Medical Association.
The collector said the Pulse Polio programme was being continued as a precautionary step to ensure a healthy future for children. He said booth-level immunisation would be held on December 21, followed by a door-to-door campaign on December 22 and 23.
Dr Lakshmisha said the drive would be implemented with coordinated efforts of medical and health, revenue, panchayati raj, municipal, public transport and ICDS departments, with rural and urban booths, mobile teams and transit points ensuring full coverage
