The oral polio vaccine was administered to over 1.83 lakh children under five years of age in Ernakulam district on Sunday to achieve 87% coverage in the pulse polio immunisation programme. The district’s target was to reach out to 2.10 lakh children.
For two days from Monday, health workers from primary health centres will visit households to administer the vaccine to children who missed the immunisation drive.
The district-level inauguration of the programme was conducted at the Vazhakulam family health centre. V. P. Sajeendran, MLA, inaugurated the function and the first dose of the oral polio vaccine was given to the daughter of District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla, who was the chief guest at the function.
Asha Sanil, District Panchayat President, presided over the function.
1,652 booths
The mass vaccine programme was conducted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1,652 booths set up in the district by health authorities. The booths were set up at government and private hospitals, anganwadis and health sub-centres. Besides these, 40 transit booths were also established at bus stands, railway stations, boat jetties and the airport. There were also 114 mobile booths. For the first time, a booth was set up at a Kochi metro station. At Aluva where the booth functioned, 138 children were administered the vaccine.
The national immunisation programme has eradicated polio in the country, but the wild virus causing the disease has been detected in neighbouring countries. Hence, a single dose of the vaccine is recommended in the mass immunisation programme to prevent any infection that could cross over from any migrant population.
