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“96 % target achieved under first phase of polio programme”

Photo: Special Arrangement

For healthy life: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy administering polio vaccine to a child at his residence in Puducherry on Sunday. —

PUDUCHERRY: Around 96 per cent of the children in the 0-5 age group were covered under the first phase of the Intensive Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme in the Union Territory on Sunday. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy launched the first phase by administering the vaccine to a child at his residence.

The Health Department planned to cover as many as 93,574 children in the first phase of the campaign. “Around 96 per cent of the target has been achieved. We are awaiting feedback from Yanam region and two pockets in Puducherry region,” V. Shankar Reddy, Deputy Director, Immunisation Programme of the Health and Family Welfare Services, said.

A door-to-door campaign would be undertaken on Monday and Tuesday to cover those left out, Dr. Reddy said.

The Health Department has set up 415 special booths in the Union Territory to carry out the programme and deployed four persons in each of the booths. Apart from the services of the personnel from the Health Department, several schoolchildren were roped in to mobilise beneficiaries, he added.

Several government departments and voluntary agencies, including Rotary Club joined hands with the government for the smooth conduct of the programme. The second phase of the campaign would be carried out on February 10, 11 and 12, Dr. Reddy added. The Deputy Director said the last polio case in the Union Territory was detected in 1998 in Karaikal. The department had taken special care to see the entire targeted population was covered in Karaikal since then, he said.

Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy inaugurated the polio vaccine camp in the municipal maternity ward here on Sunday.

He said the oral vaccine would be given to 3,26,243 children below the age of five in the district. For the purpose, 2,374 centres have been set up all over the district and 9,643 volunteers deployed.

Collector Brajendra Navnit, municipal chairman K. Janakaraj and Deputy Director (Health) K. Krishnaraj accompanied the Minister.

In Cuddalore, Collector Rajendra Ratnoo inaugurated the camp at the main bus stand in the presence of municipal chairman T. Thangarasu, vice-chairman Thamaraiselvan, Commissioner R. Rajendran, Joint Director (Health) N. Raja, and Deputy Director (Health) R. Meera.

As many as 2,51,391 children within the age of five in the district would be covered under the programme in the next three days.

The vaccine has been made available through 1,512 centres, of which 1,341 are situated in the rural areas and the remaining in the urban areas. These include the special centres such as bus stands, railway stations and other public places.

Those who are left out would be covered by the camp planned on February 10.

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