PPI programme to commence tomorrow

Kurnool: As part of the National Immunisation Programme, as many as 5, 31,682 children below the age of five years would be administered polio drops during the second round of pulse polio programme that is scheduled from March 11 to 13 across the district. There are a total number of 8, 59,985 households and 44, 04,478 population in the district.

A total of 2,771 polio booths were set up to administer polio drops. Of them, 2342 booths for rural, 429 for Urban and 98 will work on mobile duty. Among them, 98 mobile teams are being pressed into service to cover children of migrated families, temples, churches, mosques, marriage halls, construction sites, public parks, temporary settlements and markets.

As many as 11,090 personnel have been deployed for polio programme from all the departments. Nursing students, ASHAs, Anganwadi workers, medical students, NCC, Scouts & Guides, community volunteers and self-help groups will take part. In addition, 273 supervisors are allocated to inspect the programme.

On March 11, the pulse polio immunisation booths would be extending its services at both rural and urban areas. The children who have missed the drops at booths will be covered by house-to- house visits by the teams from March 12 to 13. Polio centres will also be operated at all transit points like railway stations and bus stations which will be working round-the-clock from the March 11.

Speaking to media persons, District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO), Dr AVVRK Prasad said, no cases of polio have been reported in Kurnool since 2003 and India was declared polio-free by the Union Health Ministry.

He said that they will distribute 6, 80,000 vaccination doses with the assistance of 11,940 Vaccinators across the district. He called upon the parents to administer polio drops to their children and make the programm a grand success.