Pulse polio campaign from today

Chandigarh, May 27

To keep the people safe from wild polio virus, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh will launch a three-day immunisation campaign from Nawanshahr on Sunday.

The pulse polio round for the year 2023 will be conducted from May 28 to May 30 in 12 districts of Punjab.

Explaining the importance of the vaccination campaign, the minister said although no wild polio virus case had been reported since 2010, Punjab faced a high risk from its neighbouring endemic countries, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan.

This is the reason campaigns were being undertaken in the state, he said.

The risk of importation of polio virus assumed more significance as the highest number of polio cases in the last few years had been reported from Pakistan, he added.

Transit teams are already established at the Attari border to ensure vaccination of individuals crossing the Indo-Pak border.

Similarly, vaccination sites had been established at Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur, after the opening of the Kartarpur corridor, he said.

Health (Family Welfare) Director Dr Ravinder Pal Kaur said the round would be conducted in Amritsar, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mansa, Muktsar, Moga, Pathankot, Patiala, Nawanshahr and Tarn Taran.

Booths will be set up on the first day and house-to-house visits will be undertaken for the next two days. A target to cover as many as 14,83,072 children aged five in this round has been set. — TNS

Risk from neighbouring countries

Explaining the importance of the vaccination campaign, Health Minister Balbir Singh said although no wild polio virus case had been reported since 2010, Punjab faced a high risk from its neighbouring endemic countries, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan

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