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Encouraging response to pulse polio immunisation campaign

Tiruchi Bureau

Large number of centres set up to cover maximum number of children

ERADICATING POLIO: Polio drops being administered to an infant by M. Veera Shanmugha Moni in Thanjavur on Sunday. — Photo: M Srinath

Thanjavur: Polio drops were administered to children below five years in Thanjavur district on Sunday under the pulse polio mass immunisation programme. I t has been planned to cover 2,71,862 children in the district, said M.Veera Shanmugha Moni, Collector who launched the immunisation programme by administering polio drops to a child at Mariammankoil.

Polio drops were administered through 1,382 pulse polio centres in rural areas and 128 centres in urban areas. For this 3,85,000 polio drops were distributed to centres which included Primary Health centres, Government hospitals, Schools, Private hospitals, bus stations, Railway Stations and temples. Second phase of polio immunisation will be done on May 21.

Karur

A total of 95,280 children were administered the pulse polio drops in the district. It included 86,757 children in the urban and 8,523 in the rural areas. The District Revenue Officer, M. Mathivanan, launched the polio immunisation drive by administering drops to infants at the Government Hospital and the Bus Stand here before visiting a Narikurava camp in the Sunga Gate area, Ramanur Bhagavathy Amman Temple, Panchayat Union Middle School, Rayanur, and a couple of other centres to supervise the arrangements.

In Karur district, polio drops was being administered in 766 centres with 3,178 medical and paramedical staff as also volunteers from social service organisations pitching in with their support. He pointed out that even children who have come from other districts on vacation to Karur would be covered during the campaign. The exercise to identify the children below five left out from Sunday's campaign would be taken up on Monday and Tuesday and they would be administered drops immediately. Even if the infants had been administered polio drops, there is nothing wrong in providing drops again, the Health officials have said, inviting the parents of children below five to take their wards to the nearest centre.

The Joint Director of Health Family Welfare, Mahalingam, the Deputy Director, Sadasivam, the Medical Superintendent of the Government Hospital here, Govindasamy, volunteers of social service organisations and others participated in the programmes.

Nagapattinam

The programme evoked good response in the Cauvery delta region where over 1.50 lakh children were administered pulse polio drops in 961 centres, said J.Radhakrishnan, Collector, here on Sunday.He inspected a number of centres and administered pulse polio drops to a number of children at the temporary shelters in the tsunami-hit coastal areas in Nagapattinam town and health centres.

He said that a large number of parents in rural areas brought their children voluntarily to various centres including hospitals, healthcare centres, important public places and bus stops and got pulse polio drops for their wards. He said that more than 3,500 staff and volunteers from various service and voluntary organisations, took part actively and provided pulse polio drops. A number of pilgrims and tourists who came to Velankanni Church brought their children for getting the polio drops.

Karaikal

Nearly 15,000 children were benefited under the programme.

Sudhir Kumar, Collector, said more than 15,000 children were administered the pulse polio drops in 70 centres.

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