About 71 lakh children to be given polio vaccine on Jan 31 in TN

About 70.26 lakh children will becovered in Tamil Nadu during the nation-wide Pulse PolioImmunisation (PPI) campaign to be undertaken on January 31with preventive measures for COVID-19, the state governmentsaid on Friday.

Children aged below five will be administered the poliodrops at the immunisation booths from 7 am to 5 pm, accordingto an official release here.

It urged the people to adhere to the social distancingnorms and wear face-masks. Washing hands before startingvaccination with sanitizer or soap with water was mandatory.

The National Immunisation Day (NID), commonly known asPulse Polio Immunisation programme, wasearlier scheduled forJanuary 17 across the country but rescheduled in view of theCOVID-19 vaccination launch a day earlier.

Children immunised recently under the routineimmunisation schedule should also be given Polio drops. Allnewborn children should be given the drops, the release said.

Persons or children with fever or cough or othersymptoms suggestive of COVID-19 would not be allowed insidethe booth and overcrowding at booths should be avoided.

Arrangements have been made to vaccinate the children ofmigrant labourers during the campaign which will also see theprivate paediatricians and private hospitals joining thedrive, it said.

A total of 43,051 booths have been established in allprimary health centres, government hospitals, Integrated ChildDevelopment Services (ICDS) centres, noon meal centres,schools and other important places across the state for thevaccination and two lakh personnel would be involved.

Transit booths with COVID-19 guidelines will alsofunction in major bus stands, railway stations, toll plazas,check posts, airports during the campaign days to cover thechildren on travel.

In addition, mobile teams will administer polio dropsto children living in remote, inaccessible and migrant areas.

The release said Tamil Nadu was entering 17th Polio freeyear due to successful implementation of the Pulse PolioCampaigns.