Nationwide Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme: Children under five receive polio vaccine at special camp in Thoothukudi
Thoothukudi, June 28
The nationwide Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme is underway on Sunday, with special attention being given to children from birth up to five years of age. A special immunisation camp has been established at Chinna Mani Nagar Park in Thoothukudi to facilitate the distribution of life-saving polio drops.
As part of the nationwide Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme, an immunisation camp has been set up where parents are bringing their children to receive the life-saving polio vaccine. Health officials have urged all parents to ensure that every child below the age of five receives the polio drops without fail.
On the other hand, Himachal Pradesh has completed all preparations for the National Immunisation Day (NID) Pulse Polio Campaign to be held on Sunday, June 28, with the Health Department aiming to administer Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) drops to nearly 5.94 lakh children below the age of five through 4,753 Pulse Polio booths across the state.
The state's preparedness was reviewed at a meeting of the State Task Force for Immunisation (STFI) held on June 23 under the chairmanship of Health Secretary M Sudha Devi, IAS. Similar review meetings have also been conducted in all districts under the supervision of the respective Deputy Commissioners to ensure smooth implementation of the campaign.
Health authorities have completed the deployment of vaccines, logistics, trained vaccination teams and supervisors at all designated locations to facilitate the statewide immunisation exercise.
Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Himachal Pradesh, Pradeep Kumar Thakur, IAS, has appealed to parents and caregivers to bring every child below five years of age to the nearest Pulse Polio booth on June 28, irrespective of the child's previous vaccination status.
To ensure that no eligible child is left out, health teams will conduct intensive house-to-house visits on June 29 and 30 to vaccinate children who may have missed receiving the vaccine on the booth day.
The NHM has also sought the cooperation of newly elected Panchayati Raj Institution representatives, Gram Pradhans, urban local body representatives, teachers and community volunteers to mobilise families and ensure maximum participation in the campaign.
In addition, ASHA workers have prepared detailed line lists of all eligible children in their respective areas to strengthen follow-up efforts and achieve complete coverage.
Although India has remained polio-free since 2011, health officials emphasised that sustained vigilance is essential as wild poliovirus continues to circulate in neighbouring Pakistan and Afghanistan. They said every Pulse Polio round plays a crucial role in maintaining India's immunity barrier and preventing the reintroduction of the disease.
— ANI
Reader Comments
🙏 Thank you to all the health workers, ASHA didis, and government officials who make this happen every time. It's not easy to reach every single child in a country as diverse as ours, but the dedication is commendable. Just hoping the house-to-house visits on June 29-30 truly cover every corner, especially remote areas.
Wonderful initiative! 👏 But I notice we still need to constantly run these campaigns even after being polio-free for 13 years. That shows how fragile our immunity barrier is. We should also invest more in routine immunisation and sanitation to make sure future generations don't have to depend on repeated mass drives.
Good coordination between state governments, district authorities and local bodies. The mention of Panchayati Raj representatives and teachers getting involved shows a whole-of-society approach. 👨👩👧👦 Just one thing—can the camps be more frequent in urban slums and migrant worker settlements? Those populations often slip through.
As a mother of a 2-year-old, I'm grateful for these drives. The ASHA worker in our area came and explained everything clearly. 💉 India should be proud of achieving polio-free status, but we can't take it for granted. Seeing cases in Pakistan and Afghanistan is a reminder that viruses don't respect borders.
This is real democracy in action—every child matters regardless of where they're born. 🏅 But here's a respectful criticism: we need more transparency in how vaccine logistics are managed. Some booths in rural areas still face shortages or delays
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.