Pulse Polio campaign in DK on April 2 and 30

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Mar 23, 2017: National Pulse Polio Programme 2017 will be held in two phases in Dakshina Kannada district on April 2 and 30.

Briefing media persons,  district health officer Dr Ramakarishna Rao said that the National Pulse Polio Programme 2017 will be held in two phases in Dakshina Kannada district on April 2 and 30.

Drops to prevent Polio would be administered to children below five years old. It would be held for four days in Mangalore city and on the first three days in rural areas, he said.

The children of migrant labourers living in the city should be given the drops. A total of 1,64,965 children would be given polio drops at 921 booths. A total of 1,14,540 children in rural areas will be administered with polio drops.

The services of 3,816 vaccinators would be utilised during the drive. A total of 199 supervisors would look into the arrangement. There are nine mobile teams and 27 transit teams to administer the pulse polio drops, he added.

There are 8,515 children of migrant labourers. Polio drops would be administered at bus stands, railway stations, airports and marriage halls.

Last year, the district has achieved 100.18% success in the first round of Pulse Polio programme by covering 1,69,256 children while the success rate was 99.17% in the second phase by covering 1,67,547 children.

To ensure that no child is dropped from the vaccination, the health workers would visit houses. Routine immunisation took care of each child’s immunity but to prevent its spread, ’herd immunity’ is required.

He said ’pulse’ implies that all children in the age group of zero to five years should get the Polio drops. Residents in apartments do not allow health workers with Polio drops to enter their houses. So the department of health and family welfare has written to the apartment managers to get details on the number of children in the apartments to get details on the children to be given polio drops.

As many as 575 health officials, 2,079 anganwadi workers, 1,100 Asha workers, 89 implementation officers and doctors would take part in the drive.

The DHO said India is declared as free from polio. But polio cases are being reported from neighbouring countries of Pakistan. So, India cannot afford to drop its guard and continue with the administering polio drops. The last case of polio in the country was reported from Howrah district in West Bengal on January 13, 2011. In Dakshina Kannada district, the last case was reported in 1999, he added.