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Nagpur: Come Sunday the January 28, it will be time to say, “Do Boond Zindagi Ke.” The First Phase of National Pulse Polio drive will be undertaken in Nagpur. The Second Phase of Pulse Polio drive will be undertaken on March 11, 2018 (Sunday).
Addressing a press conference, Municipal Commissioner Ashwin Mudgal said that Government of India launched the pulse polio campaign to eradicate the dreaded disease from the soil of the country. The polio vaccination is administered to children in the age group of 0-5 years. “Care is taken that not a single child is deprived of the vaccination. Not a single patient of polio has been detected in Maharashtra since 2011. However, a polio patient was found in West Bengal. But since the past three years, there is no polio patient in the country. India became polio-free country on March 27, 2014. A certificate to this effect was given to India by World Health Organization (WHO),” Mudgal said. “But since 18 patients were found in Pakistan and 12 in Afghanistan, India is taking no chance and organizing the national pulse polio drive every year as the possibility of the deadly disease reaching our soil could not be ruled out,” he added.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is launching the Pulse Polio Drive in its 10 Zones. The NMC has deployed 10 Zonal Medical Officers and 10 Health Inspectors for the first phase (January 28) and for second phase (March 11) by organizing PPI on the days of the drive and visiting house to house (IPPI). Utmost care will be taken to vaccinate each and every child during the drive. Kids from 0 to 5 years will be vaccinated.
Figure of last year’s vaccinated children: 2,70,871
Number of booths having 3 employees: 947
Number of booths having 2 employees: 343
Total booths: 1290
A total of 3527 employees and assistants would be deployed for managing the booths requiring 252 supervisors for PPI on the drive days. Maximum care will be taken for Pulse Polio Vaccination on booth days. The NMC has made arrangements for transit teams to ensure the vaccination of kids at temples, masjids, malls, Big Bazaars, Railway Stations, Bus Stand, Airport, Check Posts, marriage halls, and by mobile teams in most sensitive areas, construction sites, brick kilns, kids of nomadic tribes, street kids, orphanages, slums, small factory areas and other places. The transit and mobile teams would work on five days for visiting the assigned places to ensure every kid is vaccinated on booth days and house to house visits by hundreds of teams.
A widespread publicity has been given to the Pulse Polio drive such as putting up of hoardings, posters, banners, stickers, video clips at Railway Station, rallies of students, etc.
The Pulse Polio Drive will begin at 8 am and will continue till 5 pm on January 28 in all 10 Zones. The transport of vaccine is being made with the help of Rotary Club. The Rotarians will reach to every booth with the vaccines in advance, Mudgal said.
After the first phase of Pulse Polio drive on Sunday, January 28, teams of NMC will visit 7,17,701 houses and will ensure the deprived children vaccinated with polio dose. The remaining children, if any, will be covered in the second phase of the Pulse Polio drive on March 11, 2018.
