As many as 5.37 lakh of the targeted 6.5 lakh children below the age of five were on Sunday administered polio drops as a part of the second round of the Pulse Polio immunisation drive held in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike areas.
With this, the 135 wards under BBMP recorded 82.66 per cent on the first day of the second round of the pulse polio immunisation drive. Several health workers including students from nursing colleges were deployed for the drive. Young parents were found taking their children to pulse polio administering centres set up across the city. Doctors, paramedical staff and members of the Rotary Club participated in the drive. In addition, mobile vans and kiosks at railway stations and bus stands were set up.
Though Sunday’s campaign comes a month after a similar drive which was held in January, Health Department officials said children administered with pulse polio drops in the previous round should also be administered polio drops in the ensuing round.
Meanwhile, Bangalore Urban district which comes under the health department recorded a coverage of 83.88 per cent with 4.7 lakh out of the 5.6 lakh children having polio drops administered.
The State’s average coverage was 86.02 per cent. Udupi district recorded the highest coverage with 93.17 per cent, while Yadgir recorded the lowest at 76.09 poer cent.