Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The first phase of this year’s first Pulse Polio campaign was launched across the district on Sunday. Children below five years of age were covered on the first day of the campaign launched at the booth level. According to immunisation officer Dr Tarun Gupta, the department had been entrusted with a target of administering polio drops to 5.22 lakh children in the district and it had achieved 77 per cent of the mark on the very first day of the campaign.
“More than 4 lakh children were administered polio drops at 3,572 booths set up by us with the help of paramedical and nursing students, and our health activists. Now, over the next two days, the activists will reach every doorstep to administer drops to those who couldn’t reach the booths on Sunday,” Dr Gupta said.
The campaign was inaugurated by member of Parliament Shankar Lalwani and collector Manish Singh in the presence of regional director (Health) Dr Ashok Dagaria by administering polio drops to children at the Government PC Sethi Hospital on Sunday.
The health department had also made extensive preparations for attracting children to the booths by displaying cartoons and colourful paintings, and by keeping toys at many centres. The department also had operating booths at the railway station, bus stands, and other transition points to make it easy for people to get their children immunised. A booth was also set up by the Mahavir Trust at Regal Square, where the highest number of children took polio drops.
People were also excited to get their children immunised against the disease as they got a chance to reach the booths for some other purpose than Covid-19 vaccination.
Last cases in Jan 2011
Health officials said the last reported cases of wild polio in India were in West Bengal and Gujarat on January 13, 2011. On March 27, 2014, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared India a polio-free country, since no cases of wild polio have been reported since then
