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Bihar launches drive to eradicate polio

— PHOTO: RANJEET KUMAR

DROPS OF LIFE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar administering polio drops to a child at Notre Dam school in Patna on Sunday.

PATNA: Eradicating polio is a priority for the Bihar Government, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Sunday as over 91,000 vaccinators fanned out to reach 2.05 crore children in 38 districts of the State.

Launching the last immunisation drive of the year by giving polio drops to children at Notre Dame Academy here, Mr. Kumar said an awareness campaign is being carried out in a big way but there is a need to go beyond advertisements.

``We should get experts to write about it so that information goes out to the people in a convincing manner,'' he said.

Bihar has recorded the second highest number of new polio cases after Uttar Pradesh in a fresh polio outbreak, with 522 cases registered across the country.

Recalling his meeting with officials of UNICEF, WHO and Health Department about the polio programme a few months ago, Mr. Kumar said, ``We have come a long way since then. The awareness campaign is strong and I myself monitor the progress with district magistrates through video conferencing.''

More than 91,000 vaccinators and over 12,000 supervisors will be in the field as part of the anti-polio drive that began today in Bihar.

The supervisors will verify data and vaccination figures and some 13 lakh vials of polio vaccine will be used during the drive. - PTI

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Bihar launches drive to eradicate polio

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