A total of 4.48 lakh children under the age of five under the old limits of the Chennai Corporation were covered in the second phase of pulse polio vaccination held here on Sunday. Over 4,500 staff and volunteers participated in the drive. A total of 4,95,512 children below the age of five had been enumerated by volunteers and staff. In the first phase, 4.41 lakh children (89 per cent) were covered . In phase II so far, the coverage has been 90.5 per cent.
Sources in the Family Welfare Department of the civic body said the number did not include those vaccinated in bus stands, railway stations, private hospitals and migrants. All children covered on Sunday have been given ink marks on their little fingers.
In the four newly formed zones of Tiruvottiyur, Madhavaram, Ambattur and Alandur, of the enumerated 1,11,329 children, a total of 1,09,421 were covered.
The respective district administrations took charge of the campaign in the other new zones — Manali, Sholinganallur, Perungudi and Valasaravakkam.
Starting Monday, urban health nurses will visit the homes of enumerated children who were not covered in the vaccination drive. Homes where children are too sick or where family members are out of station are being marked for a follow up.
Sources said that usually about 10 per cent of children who come to booths for the oral polio vaccine administration have fevers, colds, coughs or diarrhoea. Children who need hospitalisation are not administered the oral polio vaccine.
Vaccines used in the campaign are supplied by the Directorate of Public Health to the Chennai Corporation and through the civic body to private hospitals.
