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Delhi bid to rid itself of polio

Staff Reporter

- Photo: S. Subramanium

Drops of life: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Health Minister Yoganand Shastri administering polio drops to a child during the pulse polio campaign in the Capital on Saturday.

NEW DELHI: Only one case of P-I wild virus has been reported this year in Delhi against two cases of polio reported in 2007 whereas 866 cases were reported at the national level during 2007, said Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit launching another new phase of the Special Intensified Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme at her residence here on Saturday.

Immunisation

Ms. Dikshit, who administered polio drops to a number of children at the launch, exhorted all parents to bring their children up to the age of five years for immunisation against polio on Sunday. She said anti-polio drops would be administered to more than 25 lakh children in the Capital at over 7,500 booths that would be set up for the purpose.

The Chief Minister said Delhi would continue to strive hard to completely eliminate polio and the success is likely to come in the next few months. “Delhi was the first to initiate the Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme and would like to take the lead in elimination of this disease which not only hampers physical and mental growth of children but also makes them handicapped for the rest of their lives,” she said.

Delhi Health Minister Yoganand Shastri said nearly 30,000 workers and employees of the Health Department would be deployed to ensure maximum reach of the immunisation programme on Sunday.

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