It is the responsibility of the parents to vaccinate their children against the polio virus, said NTR district Collector S. Dilli Rao.
After flagging off an awareness rally at the Old Government General Hospital here on March 2 (Saturday), Mr. Dilli Rao said the disease is preventable and all it takes is giving children two doses of the vaccine.
He said 2,48,000 children would be vaccinated against the disease, in the district as part of the drive which will begin on Sunday. He said the doses would be given to children at centres on the first two days, and mobile teams would make a door-to-door visit on March 5 to ensure every child is covered.
“The steps taken by the governments in the last 20 years have yielded good results. Yet, it is important that every parent gets their child, aged below 5, vaccinated,” the Collector said.
He added that 1,008 centres have been set up in rural and urban areas, at public places such as bus stands and railway stations, while 71 mobile teams have been formed.
He said 3,11,460 doses of polio drops have been kept ready and 4,244 volunteers have been appointed for the drive.
Vijayawada Municipal Corporation Commissioner Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar, Mayor Rayana Bhagyalakshmi and other officials took part in the rally.
