At least 33 districts in Uttar Pradesh will conduct a special polio immunisation drive starting December 14.
Director general of family welfare Dr Pawan Arun Kuymar has issued a circular to the chief medical officers of 33 districts, directing them to train workers for the sub-national immunisation day campaign.
Districts participating in the campaign include Agra, Ambedkarnagar, Amethi, Ayodhya, Badaun, Bhadohi, Banda, Chandauli, Etawah, Firozabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Ghazipur, Hamirpur, Hathras, Jalaun, Jaunpur, Jhansi, Kannauj, Kanpur, Kanpur Dehat, Kasganj, Kushinagar, Lalitpur, Lucknow, Mahoba, Mathura, Mau, Mirzapur, Pilibhit, Sonbhadra, Unnao and Varanasi.
“The Government of India team has selected these districts,” said Dr Ajay Gupta, Uttar Pradesh’s state immunisation officer.
The drive will place special emphasis on reaching children of migrant labourers and other sensitive groups. A district-level workshop is planned for the third week of November, followed by a task force meeting in the fourth week. Block-level task force meetings and vaccinator training will be held in the first week of December, with a social awareness campaign to follow.
The circular stated, “A daily review of the campaign should be conducted at both the block and district levels. Focus must be given to identifying ‘X’ houses — those where polio drops could not be administered — and ensuring that efforts are made to cover the children in these households the following day.”
{{/usCountry}}The circular stated, “A daily review of the campaign should be conducted at both the block and district levels. Focus must be given to identifying ‘X’ houses — those where polio drops could not be administered — and ensuring that efforts are made to cover the children in these households the following day.”
{{/usCountry}}On December 14, immunisation will be carried out at booth level, followed by a door-to-door campaign from December 15 to 19. A “B team” will then work to cover any remaining children by December 22.
Directives have also been issued to ensure special focus on sensitive groups and the children of migrant labourers. Immunisation facilities will be set up at all fairs taking place in these districts, as well as at public locations such as bus stations and railway stations.