Karnataka - Bangalore   

Mop-up pulse polio drive on Sunday

Bangalore: The Government is holding a mop-up pulse polio operation in and around Bangalore on December 9 to protect children below five years of age. The special drive follows the detection of polio virus in the city in a 28-month-old child from a migrant family from Uttar Pradesh.

Health Secretary Usha Ganesh told presspersons here on Wednesday that the drive would immunise 13,30,053 children in the districts of Bangalore Urban (including BBMP areas), Bangalore Rural and Ramanagara in 4,350 booths by 18,320 volunteers.

Following a direction from the Union Government, a State-level steering committee meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary P.B. Mahishi, has worked out the logistics of the drive. The massive operation, estimated to cost Rs. 50 lakh, will involve co-ordination between several departments, including Health, Education and Transport. Officials from various departments, nursing and medical students, NCC and NSS volunteers, anganwadi workers and functionaries of the Panchyati Raj institutions will be roped in to aid the drive.

The drive has been launched in these areas in response to the emergency situation and the regular Pulse Polio drive will be held throughout the State on January 6 and 7, said Ms. Ganesh.

Special booths will be set up in KSRTC bus stops and railway stations to ensure that children in transit will also not miss the immunisation programme. A massive publicity drive is being launched to ensure that no child gets left out and the Government is requesting BSNL to send special alerts on the mobile as well.

No case of polio had been detected in Karnataka since 2004 and the recent case shows that migrant population, especially from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where the virus is still not eradicated, makes the State vulnerable, Ms. Ganesh said. The last detected case in Karnataka was in Raichur in 2004, she added.

The family was on a seasonal migration to the city since September.

Though the parents claimed that the child had been vaccinated for polio, there was no record available on it, she said. In future, the Health Department would make special efforts to track and immunise children from migrant families, she added.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

India can aspire for more Nobel prizes, says Sheldon Glashow
One polio case detected in Bangalore
German Consul General calls on Governor
Firms, government undertakings told not to hold back TDS sums
Alumni meet
Relief to students
New train to Gorakhpur
Mop-up pulse polio drive on Sunday
Special control room
Examination
When dogs get to strut their stuff
A chance to indulge in fantasies
‘The Silent Front’ tomorrow
A nostalgia-filled silver jubilee school notes
Eco-friendly scooters launched in Bangalore
‘Chinnara Habba’ gives them much-needed break
SSC exam
Decision on Sakrama today
Flower auction centre opened
Builder’s employee kidnapped, released Crime notes
In Bangalore Today

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu