The Health Department aims at covering 3.30 lakh children below five years in Coimbatore during the first phase of the annual Pulse Polio campaign scheduled for January 19. The district has a total population of 33.16 lakh according to 2011 Census data.
As many as 1,581 booths, the same number as last year, have been established, said S. Somasundaram, Deputy Director of Health Services. A total of 193 teams comprising medical officers, and nurses would be deployed to monitor the vaccination campaign.
While 1,318 booths are located in rural areas, the remaining 263 are in the urban areas. An intensive information, education and communication campaign would be taken up in the three days preceding the campaign.
Already, public announcement systems have been installed in 46 locations besides mobile teams that were covering all the 12 blocks and Corporation areas. A total of 202 booths had been allotted exclusively for ‘high risk’ areas such as slums and villages along the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, which face the threat of cross-border transmission and camps put up by migrant workers, he said. A total of 18 mobile booths would also be deployed mainly to cover the inaccessible areas located in Valparai and Anaikatti. More than 6,500 personnel and volunteers from the Departments of Health, Education and Revenue besides Integrated Child Development Services, students from schools and colleges, non-governmental organisations will be involved in the campaign. Further, nearly 300 vehicles would be pressed into service, the Deputy Director said.
