Pace of pulse polio programme picks up

Compared to last year, when it reached 84 per cent of the target age group, the district achieved 87.44 per cent of its given target of 4,95,378 children.

Since Bangalore has a lot of floating population, around 23,781 children were identified from high risk areas.

According to Dr Prabhu Chandra, Reproductive and Child Health Officer, Bangalore Urban, the high risk areas are classified as slums, brick kilns, construction areas, nomads and others. Hence, apart from setting up 1,675 booths and deploying 6,700 volunteers, they also set up 140 mobile teams to cover slums and other temporary settlements, and 130 transit teams at bus stands and railway stations. The district procured six lakh vaccines to accommodate additional children from migratory communities, he added.

The Health department would also carry out house-to-house survey from Monday for four days in urban areas and three days in rural areas. “The idea is to ensure that no child is left out. Even if a child has been immunised five days ago, the child has to be brought to the camp for another dose,” said Health Commissioner D N Nayak.

He added that there was no harm in giving a child more than the seven required doses.

State scenario

Around 73 lakh children have been identified and 97 lakh vaccines were dispatched for the National Pulse Polio programme in Karnataka, this year.

Around 31,618 booths were set up. “We have sent more vaccines than required in each district to ensure there is no shortage,” Nayak said.

Rising pulse

The Bruhut Bangalore Mahanagara Palike recorded an 84.15 per cent coverage for the pulse polio programme on day one of the four-day campaign in the City across 133 wards under its jurisdiction.

About 5.47 lakh children were administered polio drops of the estimated 6.51 lakh children in the 133 wards.

The BBMP is hopeful that it will be able to match the last year figures of 99.64 per cent coverage of pulse polio programme. The Palike will continue the campaign over the next three days with the follow up –– door-to-door immunisation programme –– scheduled to begin from Monday.