1,44,389 kids given polio drops

Tribune Reporters

Amritsar, December 10

Teams of the Health Department administered polio drops to 1,44,389 children on the first day of the polio immunisation drive here on Sunday. The three-day drive is aimed at immunization of nearly 2.97 lakh children below the age of five years in the district.

Earlier in the day, Dr Rajinderpal Kaur inaugurated the drive by flagging off a rickshaw rally from Phawara Chowk in Katra Jaimal Singh area. Dr Kaur said the rickshaws mounted with loudspeakers would spread the word about the ongoing drive so that their parents could get them immunized.

The health teams administered polio drops to children at the special booths set up for the purpose in different areas on the first day of the drive. They would run a door-to-door campaign on the remaining two days to reach out to the children who were not brought to the polio booths.

Dr Rajinderpal Kaur appealed to the residents to cooperate with the visiting health teams. She said immunization against polio was important for the children and the parents should take it as a priority task.

She said though India had been declared a polio-free nation by the World Health Organisation, the prevalence of the disease in Pakistan and Afghanistan was a matter of grave concern and the ongoing polio drives were aimed at providing immunity against the disease.

MLA inaugurates polio drive in Tarn Taran

The three-day pulse polio campaign was inaugurated by MLA Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal at the Civil Surgeon’s office by serving polio drops to a kid here on Sunday.

Dr Varinderpal Kaur, District Officer-cum- Officiating Civil Surgeon, said in 2,33,760 houses in the district, 1,44,515 kids up to the age of 0 to 5 years would be immunised with polio drops. The officer said 1,213 teams with 116 supervisors were formed to immunize kids. The mobile teams would move to roadside labourers and brick kilns on Monday.

Dr Ashish Gupta, District family Welfare Officer, Dr Sandeep Kalra, Deputy Medical Officer, Dr Kanwaljit Singh, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Dr Simran Kaur, District Epidemiologist, and SMOs from other hospitals were present on the occasion.

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