Chennai,27 June (H.S.):Tamil Nadu is set to launch its annual Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign on Sunday, June 28, with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay inaugurating the statewide initiative aimed at protecting children from poliomyelitis and preserving India's polio-free status.
The Chief Minister will formally administer the first doses of oral polio vaccine to children below the age of five at the Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary School campus in Palavakkam, Chennai. The campaign forms part of the National Pulse Polio Programme, under which every eligible child is given free polio drops to strengthen immunity against the highly infectious viral disease.
The State Health Department has made elaborate arrangements for the one-day drive, setting a target of vaccinating 52.91 lakh children across Tamil Nadu. Health authorities have urged parents to ensure that every child below the age of five receives the vaccine, irrespective of previous immunisation status, stressing that repeated doses are essential to sustain protection against the disease.
To facilitate the campaign, the government has established 43,051 vaccination booths across the State. These centres have been set up at government hospitals, primary health centres, anganwadi centres, schools, bus terminals, railway stations, toll plazas, check posts, airports and other public locations to maximise outreach.
Special mobile medical teams have also been deployed to cover children living in remote villages, hilly regions and other inaccessible areas, ensuring that no eligible child is left out of the immunisation programme.
Ahead of the launch, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran inspected the arrangements at the Palavakkam venue on Saturday and reviewed the preparations made by civic and health officials for the smooth conduct of both the inaugural function and the statewide campaign.
India was certified polio-free by the World Health Organisation in 2014. Annual Pulse Polio campaigns continue to be conducted to maintain herd immunity and prevent the reintroduction of the virus into the country.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
