A marathon polio immunisation drive was held across the district on Sunday with a target of covering 3,04,840 children up to five years of age in urban and rural areas.
Health department authorities in coordination with the district administration have monitored the dawn to dusk intensive pulse polio immunisation campaign with special focus on children in remote areas and nomadic groups.
U. Sagayam, Madurai District Collector, had formally commenced the drive by administering oral polio vaccine to a few children at the Primary Health Centre in Othakadai near here. V. Shanmughasundaram, Deputy Director of Health Services and Radha Rani, Joint Director (Health) were among those present.
Health officials said that the Collector had urged the general public and parents to ensure that their children received the polio drops because children affected by polio will become disabled and suffer in life. Mr. Sagayam also said that it is a safe vaccine and people's cooperation will help eradicate polio from the country.
Totally, 1,600 polio immunisation booths were set up across the district and over 7,000 health staff were deployed for the purpose. Public health staff will start house to house verification from Monday to administer polio vaccine for left out children. The second round of polio immunisation is on April 15.
Madurai corporation
Elaborate arrangements were made by the Madurai Corporation for success of the first round of polio immunisation on Sunday. Mayor V. V. Rajan Chellappa administered polio drops to children at the Corporation Maternity Centre in Munichalai.
A press release from the civic body said that the immunisation was undertaken through booths set up across the corporation limits and 252 special booths were put up in Madurai Corporation area. Also, two mobile booths were pressed in to service to cover children in transit.
Polio vaccine was also administered at 17 important public places such as Mattuthavani/ Periyar bus stand, Meenakshi Temple and Eco Park. In Madurai Corporation area, totally 1,23,208 children up to five years of age were given polio drops, the corporation press release said. Deputy Mayor R.Gopalakrishnan and others participated in the function.
Railways
The Southern Railway officials had made elaborate arrangements that 1,194 children were benefitted during the pulse polio immunisation programme.
According to a press release, Geetha Sahoo, treasurer of Southern Railway Women's Welfare Organisation launched the programme by administering the vaccine to children here on Sunday. The booths were installed at vantage locations including the railway hospital, Old Railway Clony and at the railway station in coordination with the Corporation of Madurai officials to cover children travelling by trains.
In addition, pulse polio booths were also operated at important railway stations with the help of local health authorities and covered the children travelling by trains at Palani, Dindigul, Virudunagar, Shencottah, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram, Manamadurai, Rajapalayam, Tenkasi and Karaikudi, the release added.
