Vaccination for Afghan children against Polio in Karnataka

In a circular issued on Friday, National Health Mission Director Dr Arundhathi Chandrasekhar instructed vaccinating all children arriving from Afghanistan at all ports of entry in Karnataka against polio.

Every child, aged zero to 15 years, will be given polio drops in Karnataka.

In January, more than 60 lakh children of Karnataka, aged 0-5 years, got polio vaccine in the state.

There has been no case of polio in India in the last 11 years. But neighbouring countries, like Pakistan and Afghanistan, are still not polio-free. So, as a preventive measure, India is still conducting a polio vaccination drive every year.

As per the circular, every person, who enters Karnataka from Afghanistan, needs to be given Polio vaccine (via the intradermal route or subcutaneously). Also, they have to be screened for polio by taking stool samples. These samples have to be sent to the National Institute of Virology in Bengaluru, the Mission director said.