Over 8 lakh children administered polio drops in Haryana

Chandigarh, Sep 28 (UNI) An estimated 8.86 lakh children under five years of age were administered polio drops today in Haryana.

The 3rd mop-up immunisation campaign for polio eradication started today in five districts Faridabad, Gurgaon, Jhajjar, Mewat and Rewari.

While stating this here, Health Minister Kartar Devi said that in these districts, polio drops were administered by special teams at booths set up at various places in each district .

Mrs Kartar Devi said that this campaign would continue for two more days in these districts as special teams would visit houses to trace and administer polio drops to the left out children.

A target has been set to cover a total of about 14.30 lakh children of below five years of age during the 3-day long campaign.

She said that with a view to smoothly carry out this campaign, 5450 booths were setup in these districts and these were manned by about 22,000 health officials, volunteers, Anganwari Workers and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA). About 1100 officers and officials supervised the activity apart from nodal officers from the state headquarters and independent monitors of Pt B D S Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak and National Polio Surveillance Project of WHO. This activity was preceded by undertaking awareness campaign. She said that during this round, special attention has been paid to high risk areas by deputing senior state level officers who would visit areas like slums, isolated hutments, brick kilns, floating population and construction sites and would ensure that no child is left uncovered in these areas. Wherever, pockets of children remain un-immunised, the poliovirus sustains survival and circulation.

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