Polio drops were administered to children aged up to five years during the Pulse Polio Immunisation (PPI) drive carried out across the district on Sunday.
In Madurai district, totally 2,96,654 children were expected to be covered and those children who did not receive the oral polio vaccine will be immunised when public health staff undertake house-to-house verification on Monday and Tuesday. The campaign was inaugurated by Minister for Cooperation Sellur K. Raju at Thuvariman in the presence of Collector Anshul Mishra and senior officials from the Health Department.
Totally 1,600 immunisation booths were set up in the district, manned by over 7,000 staff from various government departments and volunteers. A special team formed by the Collector comprising of 13 supervisors monitored the campaign.
Officials said that the Deputy Director of Health Services of Madurai district, S. Senthilkumar, has appealed to the parents to ensure that their children were administered the vaccine.
In Madurai Corporation area, there were 252 polio immunisation booths to cover 1.21 lakh children. Mobile booths were pressed in to service at bus stands, railway junctions and Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple.
Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa administered the vaccine to a couple of children at Sathamangalam urban heath-post near Anna Nagar. Corporation Commissioner R. Nanthagopal was present.
Dindigul
Over 2.21 lakh children were administered the vaccine in Dindigul district. As many as 5,343 persons, including government employees, noon-meal staff, officials from Health, Education and Social Welfare departments, service organisations, non-governmental organisations and members of Rotary Clubs, extended their service at 1,315 centres. The campaign began in the morning at government hospitals, primary health centres, sub-centres, private hospitals and government schools. Special centres were set up at railway stations, bus stands, markets, among other public places. Twenty five mobile units were formed to cover children in remote villages. The district administration had supplied sufficient quantum of vaccines to all the centres. Minister for Power R. Viswanathan started the campaign at Kamala Nehru Hospital in Dindigul.
Theni
More than one lakh children were immunised in Theni district. A total of 3,600 persons, including officials, noon meal and anganwadi workers, NGOs and Rotary Club members, were engaged in the exercise. Twenty mobile teams were formed to take the campaign to remote villages on hills.
A total of 786 centres, including 39 centres at railway stations and bus stands, had been set up. Finance Minister O. Paneerselvam launched the campaign at Vadugapatti in Periyakulam union.
Ramnad, Sivaganga
About 1.17 lakh children in Ramanathapuram and 1.29 lakh in Sivaganga districts were covered in the first phase of the campaign on Sunday. Minister for Handlooms and Textiles S. Sundararaj and Collector K. Nanthakumar launched it by administering polio drops to children at a camp in Pogalur near Paramakudi.
Collector V. Rajaraman launched the campaign at the primary health centre at Idyamelur near Sivaganga. After launching it, the Minister and Collector supervised the administration of polio drops at Government Headquarters Hospital here. At AR Hospitals, former President A.P.J. Abdul Kumar administered the drops to children.
Deputy Director of Health S. Balasubramanian said that 1.17 lakh children were administered polio drops in 1,117 centres in Ramanathapuram district.
He said 4,700 workers, including health workers, volunteers and staff of ICDS, Education and Revenue departments were pressed into service. He said noon meal workers and village health nurses would administer the polio drops for the left-out children on Monday by undertaking a door- to-door visit. The second phase of polio campaign would be held on February 24, he said. The camps were organised at 1,234 centres in Sivaganga district. More than 4,800 workers took part in the campaign, the release added.
Virudhunagar
Collector T.N. Hariharan inaugurated the campaign in Virudhunagar district headquarters hospital and 1.63 lakh children were covered in the district.
In Sivakasi (health unit district), through 626 centres, 1.02 lakh children were given the vaccine from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In Virudhunagar (HUD), through 521 centres, 61,000 children were administered the drops. In all, 4,468 persons were engaged in the exercise.
Apart from the regular centres, 77 special/mobile teams were also formed .
