Second phase of Pulse Polio launched in TN

Chennai, May 21 : About 72 lakh children below five years were today administerted polio vaccine to mark the second phase of Pulse Polio Immunisation (PPI) programme in Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi launched the programme by administering polio drops to a child at his Gopalapuram residence in the presence of State Health Minister K K S S R Ramachandran and Union Minister Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan.

The Central government had given more thrust to the programme to make India a polio-free nation by the end of this century.

The Tamil Nadu government had set up more than 40,000 immunisation booths across the State. Nearly two lakh people were deployed to administer the polio drops.

Though the campaigns so far conducted in the State had yielded very good results, it was essential to administer polio drops in view of the existence of wild polio virus still in the country, an official release said.

The State government had set up booths in government hospitals, primary health centres, health sub-centres, noon meal centres, schools and key tourism spots. Besides, transit booths had also been installed at railway stations, bus stands, temples and mobile teams would tour the inaccessible and remote areas to cover the populace in those places.

Volunteers from NGOs like Rotary were also involved in this mega campaign. In some places private doctors also opened their clinics to administer Polio drops to children irrespective of the previous immunisation status.

UNI