Telangana Pulse Polio Drive Exceeds Target

Hyderabad: Telangana’s Pulse Polio campaign has surpassed its target, with health workers administering drops to 41,53,185 children below five years against an estimated 40,97,749, achieving 101.4 per cent coverage.

Health department officials said the higher coverage was achieved through extensive follow‑up visits to identify children who missed vaccination at booths. Special teams also conducted door‑to‑door surveys to ensure no eligible child was left out.

Focused drives were carried out at construction sites, migrant worker colonies, urban slums, high‑risk pockets and child care institutions, where children are often harder to reach through routine immunisation.

Health minister Damodar Rajanarsimha said the success of the programme was made possible by coordinated efforts of doctors, officials, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), Anganwadi workers, volunteers and other frontline staff.

He thanked parents across the state for ensuring their children received the vaccine, saying public participation played a key role in helping the campaign exceed its target.

The minister added that the government would remain vigilant in maintaining Telangana’s polio‑free status and ensuring every child receives essential preventive healthcare.

Officials said the campaign focused not only on achieving numerical targets but also on reaching children often missed because of migration, mobility or limited access to health services. They stressed that sustained surveillance and immunisation efforts remain crucial to prevent the re‑emergence of polio and safeguard children’s health.