The three-day immunisation pulse polio campaign began across Jalandhar district on Sunday, with Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Walia’s two-and-a-half-month-old son receiving polio drops from a Health Department team.
Appealing to parents to actively participate in the campaign, Walia said every child below the age of five must be administered polio drops to ensure that India continues to remain a polio-free nation. He urged residents to extend full cooperation to Health Department teams and ensure that no eligible child is left uncovered during the drive.
Accompanied by Civil Surgeon Dr Rajesh Garg, the Deputy Commissioner said as many as 2,203 teams have been deployed across the district, including 2,107 house-to-house teams, 66 mobile teams and 30 transit teams, to administer polio drops to 1,96,657 children below five years of age. He said the teams would cover nearly 5,41,258 households across both urban and rural areas besides focusing on 715 high-risk locations, including slums, brick kilns, industrial areas, temporary settlements and other vulnerable pockets.
He further said the district administration and Health Department have made necessary arrangements to ensure the success of the campaign. He informed that 267 supervisors have also been deployed to closely monitor the immunization drive and ensure its smooth implementation.
He further stated that children who miss receiving polio drops at designated booths on the first day would be covered through intensive house-to-house visits by Health Department teams during the remaining two days of the campaign.
Civil Surgeon Dr Rajesh Garg, District Immunization Officer Dr Simranjit Kaur, Assistant Health Officer Dr Meera, Medical Officer Dr Adityapal, Dental Surgeon (PAP) Dr Anudeep Kaur, Deputy MEIOs Aseem Sharma and Ravinder Jassal, Ayurvedic Medical Officer Dr Monika, MPHW (Female) Kalpana and ASHA workers were present on the occasion.
2,662 children given
polio drops in Phagwara
A total of 2,662 children were administered polio drops on the opening day of the three-day pulse polio eradication drive in Phagwara on Sunday. Senior Medical Officer Dr Simardeep Kaur and paediatrician Dr Naresh Kundra told this correspondent that the vaccination campaign began successfully across the subdivision with 50 booths set up, including two transit booths at the railway station and bus stand, besides one mobile team to cover children on the move and in inaccessible areas.
Member of Parliament Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal and Phagwara Mayor Ram Paul Uppal visited vaccination booths to review the arrangements and encouraged parents to ensure every child below five years of age receives polio drops. Health officials appealed to all parents who could not bring their children on the first day to avail the remaining two days of the campaign and help achieve complete immunisation coverage against polio.
Hoshiarpur reports strong start to pulse polio drive
The Health Department achieved a strong start to the three-day intensified pulse polio campaign in Hoshiarpur district, with 89,840 children below the age of five receiving polio drops on the first day. This accounts for 63.82 per cent of the district’s target of 1, 40,768 children.
Civil Surgeon and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Mandeep Kamal visited several polio booths in the Garhshankar area to review the vaccination drive. The CMO interacted with health workers and directed them to ensure that no eligible child is left without the life-saving polio vaccine.
Appreciating the efforts of the field teams, the CMO said children who could not be covered on the first day would be vaccinated through door-to-door visits on June 29 and 30. The CMO said booth teams, mobile teams and transit teams will remain active throughout the campaign to reach every eligible child.
The CMO appealed to parents to fully cooperate with health workers and ensure that all children below five years of age receive the polio drops, helping keep the district protected from the disease.
