Over two lakh children turned up for the district-wide pulse polio drive held on Sunday, kicking off the first phase of the health department’s intensive oral polio immunisation this year
The department opened 2,269 ordinary booths across the district.
There were 104 mobile booths travelling to various corners, while 362 supervisors manned the medical exercise.
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A statement issued by the department said 2,11,726 children were administered polio drops today. Official figures showed that there was 84 per cent attendance, with a lion’s share from the rural parts of the district.
While 35,043 children came from urban regions, turnout at the booths in the rural parts was 1,76,683. The drive also saw 921 children, aged between 0 and 5, turn up for polio drops from the migrant population.
“We had formed special squads to scour the district. Monday and Tuesday will see volunteers go from door-to-door to administer the drops. Our mobile booths will also visit each and every panchayat here to immunise any child who has been left out of the exercise due to certain circumstances,” Dr. P.K. Mohanan, District Medical Officer, said.
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He said that 2014 was a crucial year for his department, which had planned intensive Pulse Polio immunisation rounds on January 19 and February 23.
“This year we are at the brink of having the World Health Organisation (WHO) formally certify the entire South-East Asian region, including India, polio-free,” he said.
While the country has remained polio-free for the last three years, the last case of polio due to wild polio virus in the State was reported in 2000 at Kondotty in neighbouring Malappuram district.
The oral polio vaccine (OPV, which provides immunity from a live but weak strain of the virus) has been in use in the national immunisation schedule to prevent the transmission of virus and boost immunity.