Over 74K kids to be covered in Panchkula

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, June 16

Deputy Commissioner Dr Balkar Singh inaugurated the pulse polio campaign in the district here today. He offered anti-polio doses to 21 children (0 to 5 years of age) at the Urban Health Centre in Sector 16.

Balkar Singh said no case of polio had been found in India since 2011 and the World Health Organisation has declared India as a polio-free nation. He said India needed to be vigilant due to polio virus being active in neighboring countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said every mother should make sure that children between the age of 0 and 5 years were given anti-polio doses.

Civil Surgeon Dr Yogesh Sharma said under the National Immunisation Polio Programme, being organised from June 16 to June 18, they have a target of providing 74,701 children with anti-polio dose in the district. He said that 462 polio booths have been set up in the urban and rural areas of the district by the Health Department, where children are being given anti-polio doses.

Sharma said for children who miss the camp, health workers would visit houses on June 17 and 18. Similarly, 22 mobile teams have been constituted to offer polio drops to children of laborers.