Hyderabad: Telangana health authorities on Sunday launched a special Pulse Polio vaccination drive across six districts, including Hyderabad, as part of a nationwide campaign to prevent the re-emergence of the disease.
Oral Polio Drops for Children Under Five
Children below five years of age are being administered oral polio drops during the drive, which will continue until October 15. The campaign began in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal Malkajgiri, Sangareddy, Hanamkonda, and Warangal districts.
Health officials have urged parents to ensure every child, from newborns to five years, is vaccinated. Across the six districts, an estimated 17.56 lakh children are eligible, with 5,17,238 children in Hyderabad alone set to receive polio drops.
Booths, Door-to-Door Coverage, and High-Risk Areas
Hyderabad District Collector Dasari Hari Chandana said 2,843 polio booths have been set up across the city, operating from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Over 11,200 health personnel will conduct door-to-door visits from October 13 to 15 to ensure full coverage.
The administration has identified 164 high-risk areas in Hyderabad district, targeting a total of 9.36 lakh households during the campaign.
Focus on High-Movement Areas
At Sangareddy, district officials including Collector P. Pravinya and Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Chairperson Nirmala Jaggareddy personally administered polio drops at the government hospital.
The six Telangana districts are among 290 districts nationwide identified by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the drive, focusing on areas with significant movement from countries where polio is still reported, including Bangladesh and Pakistan.
India last recorded a polio case in 2011, with Telangana free of cases since 2007.