The Pulse Polio immunisation drive was conducted on Sunday by various organisations by administering the oral vaccine in an effort to keep the country polio-free.
At the Gullalapalem hospital at Sriharipuram Minister for Infrastructure and Investment Ganta Srinivasa Rao and District Collector Lav Agarwal administered the drops to children. The drive should be continued with the same spirit to build on the gains during the last two years with no recorded case of polio in the district, the minister said. MLA Malla Vijaya Prasad said the Gullalapalem hospital should be developed as a 30-bed facility.
District Immunisation Officer K. Vijayalakshmi, Polio Surveillance Officer E. Gopalakrishna, Vaidya Vidhan Parishad coordinator Naik, GVMC Chief Medical Officer (Health) D. Abbulu participated.
Mayor Pulusu Janardhana Rao formally launched the drive at Pedajalaripet in Ward 17 while Municipal Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu inaugurated it at the GVMC main office. Apart from 405 booths in the city, 17 mobile teams and 162 volunteers were on duty.
In Ward 14 Visakhapatnam North MLA Tynala Vijay Kumar, in Ward 21 his South counterpart Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao and Tajya Sabha member T. Subbarami Reddy launched the drive at his camp office. According to senior Medical Officer KSLG Sastry, 92 per cent of children below five years of age were covered on Sunday. A house-to-house drive will be taken up for three days from Monday.
At ENC
The Station Health Organisation under the aegis of Eastern Naval Command conducted the immunisation programme. Reena Lamba of Navy Wives Welfare Association (Eastern Region) inaugurated the campaign at Family Clinic, Nausena Baugh. The SHO has set up 20 polio booths for immunising the children of Naval personnel, Defence civilians and civilians living in the area and 3,500 children were covered. Apart from the mop-up on Monday and Tuesday, a repeat round will be carried out on April 1. Child Foundation of India organised the immunisation at Sri Surya Clinic at Kancharapalem and the camp was opened by physician Kutikuppala Surya Rao. By afternoon, 237 children were immunised.
