The pulse polio coverage drive has covered 95.99 per cent of the targeted number of children under 5 years of age in Mysuru district, on Sunday while the coverage exceeded 99 per cent in Mandya district.
The target of 100 per cent coverage will be achieved over the next few days and in all 2.46 lakh children below five years of age are being covered under the pulse polio drive, according to District Health Officer Dr. K.H. Prasad.
The drive was inaugurated at Seth Mohandas Tulisdas Hospital and Dr. M.R. Udayshankar, Divisional Joint Director of the Department of Health and Family Welfare. He administered polio drops to the children and said that the pulse polio immunization drive was one of the biggest campaigns launched in India and was rolled out in 1994. The drive has helped the country eradicate polio which affects mobility and the objective of the drive was to ensure 100 per cent coverage during the pulse polio drive, he added.
DHO Dr. Prasad said 1620 booths were established for administering the polio drops and mobile teams will fan across the district to identify those left out and will be covered on Monday. The mobile team will comprise more than 300 supervisors and 6600 volunteers and will visit individual households under National Immunisation Drive programme during the next few days. Senior officials from the department of health and family welfare, local area councillor and others were present.
In India the last polio case was reported on January 13 th, 2011 and was declared as a polio-free country by the World Health Organisation on March 24 th, 2014, said the authorities.
Polio drive in Mandya
In Mandya the authorities administered polio drops to 1,19,668 children below 5 years against the target of 1,19,942 and the coverage was 99.7 per cent.
The drive in Mandya entailed door-to-door campaign in rural hinterland. The coverage was 100 per cent in Malavalli, Maddur, Srirangapatana and Nagamangala taluks while those left out will be covered during the ongoing drive in the next few days.
