District administration urges citizens to support Pulse Polio drive from December 21 to 24 to protect children.
Chitradurga
The National Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme will be implemented across Chitradurga district from December 21 to 24, with district authorities appealing for active cooperation from citizens, organisations, media and various government departments to ensure its success. The programme aims to protect children below five years of age from polio and prevent any possible resurgence of the disease.
Chitradurga Deputy Commissioner T. Venkatesh, addressing the media, said the Pulse Polio campaign is being conducted nationwide as a preventive measure, especially in view of polio cases reported in neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan. He stressed that sustained immunisation efforts are essential to maintain immunity among children and safeguard the country’s polio-free status.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the Pulse Polio drive in the district will be conducted from December 21 to December 24, with December 21 designated as the booth day. On this day, all children below the age of five must be administered two drops of the polio vaccine, irrespective of how many times they may have received the vaccine earlier. He emphasised that repeated doses are necessary to strengthen immunity and ensure complete protection.
To carry out the programme effectively, the district administration has constituted 1,169 booth teams across Chitradurga. These teams aim to cover a total of 1,26,361 children during the campaign period. In addition to booth-based vaccination on December 21, door-to-door and follow-up activities will be undertaken in the subsequent days to ensure that no child is missed.
Deputy Commissioner Venkatesh appealed to all sections of society, including voluntary organisations, educational institutions, health workers, frontline staff, and the media, to actively participate and support the initiative.