The Hindu : New Delhi News : Sheila launches polio immunisation drive

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Sunday, Jan 06, 2008
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Sheila launches polio immunisation drive

Staff Reporter

Chief Minister expresses deep concern over two reported cases of polio in the Capital

- Photo: V. Sudershan

Drops of life: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit launching the Pulse Polio campaign in New Delhi on Saturday.

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday launched a national immunisation drive to make the country polio-free.

Intensify

Giving the go-ahead to the polio immunisation drive from her 3 Motilal Nehru Place residence here, the Chief Minister expressed deep concern over two reported cases of polio in Delhi and announced that her Government would further intensify its efforts to fully eradicate polio.

Dangerous

“Eradication of P-I virus of polio would be the immediate focus as its occurrence is dangerous. P-II virus of polio was eliminated in 1999, whereas eradication of P-III virus would be focused in due course. Of around 667 cases of polio reported in the country last year, 600 were related to P-I virus,” she said.

Stating that elaborate arrangements had been ensured for administering anti-polio drops to around 28 lakh children in the 0-to-5-years age group on Sunday, Ms. Dikshit said it would be ensured that no virus of polio enters the Capital.

“For making a strong nation, we must have strong children, which would only be possible with the success of the pulse polio programme. Our State has shown better results in this field. Being the pioneer in the pulse polio programme, Delhi is regarded as a role model and it would continue to strive hard to completely eliminate polio. This year only two cases have been reported. Five hundred and ninety-two cases have been reported this year in the country against 676 last year,” said the Chief Minister, adding that Delhi initiated the pulse polio immunisation programme in 1994 and launched house-to-house “search and immunisation” in 1999.

Ms. Dikshit administered anti-polio drops to several children in the presence of Health Minister Yoganand Shastri and New Delhi Municipal Council chairperson Parimal Rai.

Success

Later Dr. Shastri also administered polio drops to a few children and conveyed his gratitude to the Rotary Club and other non-government organisations for making the pulse polio campaign a grand success in Delhi.

The Health Minister said 9,000 polio booths would be set up on Sunday to administer polio vaccine to lakhs of children.

Thirty thousand workers and employees of the Health Department would be deployed to ensure maximum reach from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stalls would be set up at railway stations, inter-State bus terminals, public places including Appu Ghar, major temples, metro railway stations, Millennium Park, Delhi Zoo and outlets of McDonald’s.

A weeklong door-to-door survey would also be conducted under the search and immunisation pulse polio campaign. Around 17,000 workers in different teams would visit different colonies including slums and jhuggi-jonpri clusters to search for leftover cases and administer polio drops to those children.

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