With an aim to spread awareness among people for Pulse Polio Campaign, to be started from Sunday, District Health Department has taken out a rally from Rajwada to Regal Square on Saturday morning. More than 400 people, including students of nursing colleges, doctors and social activists participated in the rally with the banners and posters including messages to eradicate Polio from the country. According to Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Pravin Jadia, the department has the target of 5.60 lakh children in the district below the age five years.
“Polio drops will be administered to children from 3600 booths of the district and more than 8000 health activists will take part in reaching the maximum number of children,” Dr Jadia said. He added that the drops will be given at booths on Sunday while the health activists will go door to door on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to reach the last child left.
“Vaccination against polio started in the country in 1978 with Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). The last reported cases of wild polio in India were in West Bengal and Gujarat on January 13, 2011. On 27 March 2014, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared India a polio free country, since no cases of wild polio has been reported since then.” Dr Jadia added.
