The Pulse Polio immunisation drive will be held across the State on February 27 (Sunday) when 24,36,298 children below the age of five will be administered an additional dose of oral polio vaccine on the same day. The State-level drive will be inaugurated by Health Minister Veena George in Pathanamthitta.
Considering the continuing situation involving COVID-19, the Pulse Polio drive will be held by ensuring all pandemic protocols. Oral polio vaccine will be administered to children between 8 a.m and 5 p.m. A total of 24,614 booths, including mobile and transit, will be arranged to deliver the vaccine.
Apart from health-care institutions, booths will be arranged in all public places, including libraries, railway stations, bus stands and airports. Mobile booths will deliver the vaccine to migrant labour camps and tourist destinations. Voluntary organisations, local bodies and other departments are joining hands to help the Health department implement the vaccination drive.
No cases of polio due to the wild virus has been reported in Kerala after since 2000, while no such case has been reported in the country after 2011. The World Health Organisation had declared India polio-free in 2014, the Health department pointed out.
However, a long as cases continue to surface in the neighbouring nations, the risk of transmission cannot be discounted. Hence, all children below five years should be administered the additional dose of oral vaccine, the department has appealed.
