Chief Minister N. Rangasamy administering polio drops to a child on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: S.S. KUMAR
Over 80,000 children in the Union Territory, up to the age of five years were administered polio drops during the intensive pulse polio immunisation drive in Puducherry on Sunday.
A total of 455 polio booths were set up across the Union Territory for the campaign. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy inaugurated the drive at the Thillaiyadi Valliammai Government Higher Secondary School in Kathirkamam.
A senior officer in the Directorate of Health and Family Services said polio vaccine was administered to all children even if they had already received oral polio vaccination or inactivated polio vaccination. The health team will conduct house-to-house visits and administer polio drops to children who were left out, on Monday and Tuesday.
Over one lakh children in Villupuram district and more than 2 lakh children in Cuddalore district, up to the age of five years, were administered polio drops in the intensive pulse polio immunisation drive on Sunday. Over 1 lakh children in Kallakurichi district were administered drops in the drive.
In Villupuram, polio drops were dispatched to respective centres to start immunisation programme at 7 a.m. More than 12,000 persons, including noon-meal staff, officials from Health, Education and Social Welfare departments, non-governmental organisations and members of Rotary Clubs were engaged in the work.
The programme commenced simultaneously at all government hospitals, primary health centres, sub-centres, private hospitals and government schools.