VIJAYAWADA: The State government has finalised a comprehensive statewide action plan for the National Immunisation Day-Pulse Polio programme on June 28 to ensure every eligible child below the age of five receives two drops of bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV).
The campaign is being conducted under the guidance of Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav, who said maintaining Andhra Pradesh’s polio-free status is a shared responsibility of the government, parents, civil society and community institutions.
The Minister has directed that the campaign should be implemented with full field-level mobilisation, special focus on high-risk and migratory habitations, and active involvement of all line departments to ensure that every child below five years receives the two drops of life.
A high-level State Task Force on Immunisation meeting was held on Friday under the chairmanship of S Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary (Health, Medical & Family Welfare Department) to review final preparedness for the Pulse Polio campaign. The meeting followed a detailed review conducted with District Collectors, District Medical & Health Officers and District Immunisation Officers, during which district-wise arrangements, vaccine logistics, micro-plans, IEC activities,field deployment, digital reporting and inter-departmental coordination were reviewed.
The National Immunisation Day activity will be conducted on Sunday, June 28, followed by intensive house-to-house verification and mop-up activity on June 29 and 30.
All children below five years will be administered polio drops. Addressing the State Task Force, Suresh Kumar said that India’s polio-free status is one of the country’s most important public health achievements and must be protected with sustained vigilance.
He stated that while India has remained polio-free for more than 15 years and Andhra Pradesh has remained free from wild poliovirus for more than 17 years, the risk of importation continues as wild poliovirus transmission is still reported from endemic countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan.
