Tamil Nadu: Polio eradication campaign begins, 5.7 million children to be administered polio drops

Tamil Nadu: As part of the polio eradication program, a special polio vaccination campaign has been launched across the state on Sunday (June 28). The campaign aims to completely eliminate the disease by administering polio drops to children under the age of 5 and prevent any future recurrence. According to the Health Department, the target is to administer polio drops to approximately 5.7 million children this year.

The campaign is being conducted on a single day across the state, with polio drops being administered from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at all health centers, government hospitals, Anganwadi centers, primary health centers, and other designated booths. People have been urged to ensure their children are taken to the booths on time to receive the polio vaccine.

India has achieved significant success in polio eradication in recent years. Due to the country’s extensive vaccination program and regular polio campaigns, India has been included in the list of polio-free countries. Previously, polio drops were administered twice a year to children under five years of age, but now, due to improved conditions, this campaign has been conducted once a year for the past six years.

Despite this change, the Health Department maintains that this campaign is crucial to completely eliminate the risk of a resurgence of the polio virus. Therefore, the state government and the Health Department conduct this special vaccination campaign every year to ensure that no child is left unvaccinated.

According to officials, thousands of vaccination centers have been established across the state as part of this campaign. Trained health workers are administering polio drops to children at these centers. Special teams have also been sent to remote rural areas to ensure access to every child. Mobile vaccination teams have also been deployed during the campaign to administer polio drops to children in crowded areas such as slums, construction sites, and bus stops.

The Health Department has appealed to parents to bring their children to polio booths on time and cooperate in making the campaign a success. The department states that polio is a serious disease that can cause permanent paralysis in children, making timely vaccination crucial.

To ensure the success of this campaign across the state, the local administration, municipal bodies, and voluntary organizations are also being enlisted. Awareness campaigns are also being conducted to encourage more people to get their children vaccinated with polio drops.

The Health Department has also implemented a special monitoring system for the polio eradication campaign, under which vaccination progress will be monitored in every district. Officials have been instructed to ensure that no child is left out of the campaign.

Thus, this massive polio vaccination campaign underway in Tamil Nadu is considered an important step towards the health and secure future of children. The government’s goal is to ensure that no new polio cases are reported in the state and that future generations are completely protected.