Minister launches pulse polio drive in Kakinada

Kakinada, Sep 14(UNI) Andhra Pradesh Endowment Minister J Rathnakararao today launched the intensive pulse-polio drive by administering drops to children at a function held at Recherlapet urban health centre here.

Speaping on the occasion he said the need for taking up intensive drive against the dreaded polio all over the state was due to a polio case reported from Kakinada recently.

Urging the people to cooperate with the government, by getting their children immunised under the programme, he sought the cooperation of the NGOs to ensure effective coverage of the eligible group of children.

District Collector Gopalakrishna Dwivedi, Zilla Parishad Chairman Ch S Venugopalakrishna and MLAs Dommeti Venkateswerlu and Mutha Gopaklakrishna, also administered polio-vaccine to children, along with the Minister.

The Collector said all the 5.72 lakh children in the age group of below five years would be covered under the intensive drive through 3,250 polio booths all over the district.

Special mobile-teams have been posted at bus and railway stations and other public places to identify the eligible children and immunize them against the virus.

The Minister, who offered prayers at the Jagannadhapuram Sri Venkateswara and Blatripura Sundari Devi temples announced the opportunity to provide Darshan to all the important temples through the VIP entrance gate for the aged as well as the disabled would be made.

He said the government was taking steps to conduct daily rituals in all the old temples by providing required funds.

UNI XR/BR DB 1828