2.89 lakh children get polio vaccine in Madurai district

MADURAI: A total of 2.89lakh children from Madurai district under five years of age were administered polio drops on Sunday as a part of nationwide pulse polio programme. Officials of the district health department said that the original target was to reach out to only 2.85lakh children, but they were able to cover more children.

The immunization drive will be continued for six more days – till Saturday – across the district through mobile units.

Speaking to ToI, deputy director of health services (DDHS) Madurai district K V Arjun Kumar said that the general public actively participated in the programme and that’s how they were able to exceed the target. “The micro-plan is such that in the next three days, we would be doing house-to-house activity, administer polio drops to children. In case if any child was left out, we would mark the houses and cover them in the remaining three days,” he said.

Earlier in the day, minister for cooperation Sellur K Raju inaugurated the pulse polio programme in Madurai district and administered polio drops to a few children at the camp set up at MGR Bus Stand in the city. Madurai corporation commissioner S Visakan presided over the function. District collector S Natarajan was also present. Sellur Raju said that there have been no cases of polio in the past 14 years in the state and that was a great achievement.

The nationwide programme in Madurai was carried out in 1,705 camps across the district, apart from 15 mobile camps, 462 camps within the corporation limits and 45 special and mobile centres. More than 9,000 staff were deputed in the district. The mobile units would function over the next six days. In Theni, deputy CM O Paneerselvam administered polio drops to children at a few places in and around Bodinayakkanur. In Dindigul, minster Dindigul C Srinivasan administered polio drops to children.