CHENNAI: The Directorate of Public Health instructed deputy directors of health services to keep track of all inbound travellers from Afghanistan to Tamil Nadu, and make necessary arrangements to vaccinate them against polio, as the disease is still endemic in their country.
In a letter to officials dated August 27, Director of Public Health (DPH) Dr TS Selvavinayagam said, “Travellers from Afghanistan irrespective of their age group should be vaccinated with one dose of oral polio vaccine and fractional dose of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) at all ports of entry, air, railway, sea and road.”
The officials also should send daily reports by 5 pm to the DPH. “In the present context, India and all States are facing a surge of inbound travellers from Afghanistan. In order to protect the country from polio importation, the country has put in place polio vaccination for international travellers coming to India from polio-endemic countries,” the DPH said in his communication to the officials.
India has been polio-free for more than 10 years and Tamil Nadu for 17 years. The South Asia Region including India was declared polio-free on March 27,2014, he said.