Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The National Pulse Polio vaccination drive commenced in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Sunday, with the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) achieving 84 per cent of its vaccination target on the opening day of the campaign. The drive, aimed at protecting children against the highly infectious poliovirus, witnessed an encouraging response from parents across the city.
The campaign was inaugurated at the CSMC N-8 Hospital at 8 am by Standing Committee Chairman Anil Makariye in the presence of several elected representatives, senior civic officials and health department officers. Municipal Commissioner Amol Yedge, Health Medical Officer Dr Ujjwala Bhambre, Dr Megha Jogdand, Executive Engineer (Mechanical) Amol Kulkarni, House Leader Sunil Kendre, Health Committee Chairperson Dr Sunita Salunkhe and other officials attended the launch ceremony.
The Health Department had set a target of administering oral polio vaccine drops to 1,99,065 children aged below five years across the city. According to official data, 1,66,653 children were vaccinated by 6 pm on Sunday, taking the coverage to nearly 84 per cent of the target on the first day itself.
To ensure that no eligible child is left out, the CSMC Health Department will now carry out door-to-door visits over the next phase of the campaign. Health workers will visit households to vaccinate children who could not be brought to the booths on Sunday.
The civic administration has appealed to parents and guardians whose children missed the vaccination on the first day to cooperate with health teams and ensure that every eligible child receives the life-saving polio drops. Officials said the campaign is an important step in sustaining India's polio-free status and protecting children from the debilitating disease.
