HYDERABAD: An estimated 5.9-lakh children up to five years of age in the twin cities are proposed to be immunised with oral polio vaccine as part of the nation-wide intensive pulse polio campaign on April 9 and May 21.

In fact, the programme will commence from midnight of April 8 and will continue till April 12 night with the aim of immunising children who miss the date through house-to-house visits.

Fifty mobile teams and 3,200 polio booths were being set up for campaign with special focus on high- risk areas like slums, said Mayor T. Krishna Reddy and MCH Commissioner Sanjay Jaju at a press conference on Tuesday.

"We cannot afford to be complacent and our aim is to cover each and every child living in the city, including those coming in and going out during the programme period," said Mr. Jaju.

He appealed to the general public to allow medical personnel visiting houses administer drops without any problem as they would be carrying authorisation letters.

Some 19,000 personnel would be pressed into service to man polio posts set up at all polling stations/election booths.

`Cover non-notified slums'

Deputy Mayor G. Subash Chanderji urged district medical officials to see that 1,100-odd non-notified slums were also covered under the programme along with 811 notified slums under the corporation.

He pointed out that Rs. 240 crores was being spent on purchase of medicines and it was also imperative to ensure that cleanliness and sanitation was maintained properly in slums, both notified and non-notified.

Mobile teams

Polio booths were also being arranged at all transit points - railway stations, bus stations and airport - to work round the clock from April 8 to 12.

Mobile teams would administer drops for children at construction sites, markets, temples, churches and mosques.

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