Polio drive: 70 lakh kids covered in Phase I

CHENNAI: The nationwide Intensive Pulse Polio Immunisation (IPPI) drive that began on Sunday is estimated to have administered the polio vaccine to their target of 70 lakh children across the State. As many as 2 lakh government personnel were deployed to administer the polio drops to children below the age of 5, across 40,000 booths across the State. Of these, approximately 5.5 lakh children within Chennai were immunised. As many as 903 transit booths and 838 mobile units were deployed as well.Sources in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Directorate of Medical Services concurred that the number of children reached may have been above the target. Exact figures will be available only later, they added. The second phase will be held on April 15.In Vellore, collector Ajay Yadav administered the vaccine to a child at the Anna Nagar Middle School and inaugurated the camp. As many as 3,87,992 children in Vellore district were identified for vaccination and a total of 2,273 camps were set up across the district. As many as 9,500 field staff were roped in for the effort.In Tiruvannamalai, collector Anshul Misra inaugurated the camp at the Primary Government Hospital. About 2.27 lakh children were expected to be vaccinated at 1,822 camps, manned by 8,350 staff.Around 4.8 lakh children were administered the polio vaccine in Madurai and Virudhunagar districts, on Sunday. In Madurai district, collector U Sagayam inaugurated the camp at Yanai Othakkadai primary health centre (PHC). “Although no cases of polio have been reported in Tamil Nadu since 2004, the pulse polio immunisation programme is being organised to avoid infection spreading from other States,” he said. Special emphasis was given to cover children of the migrant population. “As many as 1,600 polio vaccine administration points were set up, and more than 7,479 health workers participated in the drive,” he added.V V Rajan Chellappa, Mayor of Madurai Corporation, inaugurated the immunisation camp at Corporation dispensary at Munichalai. He said 252 polio booths were set up in the city and 2 mobile booths were also pressed into service. In the Corporation area, around 1.2 lakh children were administered the vaccine, the Mayor said. In Virudhunagar district, around 1.8 lakh children were administered the vaccine at 1,069 vaccination centres.