Administer pulse polio drops to children on Jan 17: DC

All children within five years of age will be administered with pulse polio drops in the district on January 17, said Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy.

She was presiding over a preliminary meeting on the preparations for pulse polio drive in the district, at DC’s office hall in Madikeri, on Wednesday.

She directed the departments of Panchayat Raj, Public Instructions, Women and Child Welfare and Regional Transport to provide necessary cooperation to the Health and Family Welfare Department in making the pulse polio drive a successful one.

The booths will be opened at schools, bus stands and other public places. Vehicle arrangements will be made by the regions transport department, for the staff.

Annies also insisted that the departments concerned should ensure uninterrupted power supply on the day of the pulse polio drive.

District Health Officer Dr K Mohan said that all necessary precautionary measures will be taken by the department while conducting the pulse polio drive, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He further said, “There are 39,820 children within five years of age in the district. As many as 4,400 children are from urban areas and 35,420 are from rural areas. There are 10,463 children from migrating families, who will also be included in the programme.”

As many as 464 booths will be set up for the drive and 48 transit teams and six mobile teams have been formed towards the same, while 1,964 staff members and 86 supervisors have been deployed.

As many as 928 staff members will carry out door-to-door visits to administer pulse polio drops to children.

The DHO requested the public to get their children to the pulse polio booths.

The health workers will wear face masks and hand gloves while administering drops, apart from taking other precautionary measures towards checking the spread of Covid-19, he added.

District RCH officer Dr Gopinath said that the pulse polio drive will be held on January 17 at booth level. On January 18, 19 and 20, the health department staff will visit houses in urban areas and on January 18 and 19 in rural areas to administer pulse polio drops to children who are left out during the drive on January 17.

Family Welfare Officer Dr Anand, World Health Organisation representatives Sudhir Nayak, DDPI P S Machado, Women and Child Welfare Department Deputy Director Ningaraju and Madikeri City Municipal Council Commissioner S V Ramdas were present during the meeting.

‘Dry run prior to Covid-19 vaccination’

A dry run will be conducted in the district on January 8, as preparation for the Covid-19 vaccination drive, said Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy.

She has issued necessary directions to the DHO and officials of the medical education department in this matter. The officials were told to disseminate necessary information to the health workers in this regard.

The district officials should coordinate with the tahsildars to conduct the practice sessions of Covid-19 vaccination. “There should be no room for any ambiguity,” said the deputy commissioner.

DHO Dr K Mohan said that the dry run will be conducted at the District Government Hospital, Community Health Centres in Kushalnagar and Virajpet and at the Primary Health Centre in Kakotuparambu in Virajpet taluk.