Andhra Pulse Polio drive: Over 54 lakh children vaccinated

In a remarkable public health initiative, Andhra Pradesh's Pulse Polio programme successfully vaccinated over 54 lakh children under five years old.

The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday conducted the Pulse Polio programme across the state, administering the life-saving drops to more than 54 lakh children below five years of age. The initiative, organised in line with the Centre’s instructions to ensure that all children below five years of age are administered polio drops.

With robust organization and government support, Andhra aims to maintain its polio-free status through continued vaccinations and outreach efforts. (UNICEF)

“The government of Andhra Pradesh conducted the Pulse Polio programme across the state, administering polio drops to over 54 lakh children below five years of age at nearly 39,000 booths,” said an official press release on Sunday. Andhra Pradesh Commissioner of Medical, Health and Family Welfare Department G Veerapandian said nearly 99 lakh doses were supplied by the central government and were dispatched to all districts.

Nodal officers have been appointed in all districts to supervise the programme and ensure smooth implementation, he added. India was declared polio-free by the World Health Organisation in March 2014, though continued vaccination is being undertaken due to the risk of virus spread from other countries, said the release.

The last polio case in the state was reported in July 2008 in the then undivided East Godavari district, said Veerapandian. As part of routine immunisation, five doses of oral polio vaccine are administered, while an additional dose is given on Pulse Polio Day. Booth-level teams comprising Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, Anganwadi workers and staff nurses administered polio drops across the state.

For children who miss vaccination today, over 76,000 teams will undertake door-to-door visits on December 22 and 23. Mobile and transit teams were also deployed at bus stations, railway stations, airports, hospitals, fairs and other public places to ensure complete coverage.