The pulse polio immunization drive to administer the polio vaccine to children below the age of five, would be held on March 3, Sunday. Minister Veena George would inaugurate the statewide drive. The Minister said that the state government aims to give polio vaccine to around 23,28,258 children below five years through specially arranged vaccine booths. There would be 23,471 booths including the transit and mobile booths. The Minister informed that 46,942 volunteers and 1564 supervisors have been specially trained for the immunization drive.
The volunteers would visit the homes, on March 4 and 5, to ensure that all children below five years have been administered the polio vaccine. In case any child missed the immunization drive on March 3, the volunteers would give them the pulse polio drops when they visited the home. The Minister requested all the parents to be part of the mega polio immunization drive by taking their children who are below five years old to the nearest vaccine booth to receive the pulse polio drops.
Polio hasn’t been reported in Kerala after 2000. Meanwhile, no cases of polio have been reported in the country since 2011. In 2014, the World Health Organization officially declared India polio-free. However, the immunization drive continues since the disease is regularly reported in our neighbouring countries.
The vaccine booths would function from 8 am to 5 pm on March 3. The pulse polio drops would be distributed via the booths that are arranged at schools, anganwadis, libraries and health centres, the transit booths at bus stands, railway stations, airports and also through the mobile booths at residential camps of migrant labourers and tourism spots. The pulse polio immunization program will be conducted with the support of local self-government, various government departments and NGOs.