Polio immunisation drive tomorrow
Saturday, February 9, 2008 | | |VISAKHAPATNAM: All arrangements are in place for the effective administration of polio drops to children in the 0 - 5 age group as part of the National Immunisation Day (NID), on Sunday.
Addressing a joint media conference in this connection on Friday, District Medical and Health Officer Balasundara Rao and District Immunisation Officer R. Syamala said that 5.80 lakh vaccine doses have been received and have been distributed to all Primary Health Centres (PHC s) and nursing homes in addition to opening of stalls at places where people gather in large numbers like parks and shopping malls.
The total enumerated children in the target age group in the district are 4,34,383.
They include 2,18,835 in the rural areas, 1,44, 269 in urban and 71,279 in the tribal areas. In all, 3625 PPI (Pulse Polio Immunisation) posts (including transit teams) have been opened in the district.
While 1,889 posts have been opened in the rural areas, 1,278 were opened in tribal areas and 458 were opened in GVMC (Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation) area.
Appointed
In all, 14,500 vaccinators and 366 supervisors have been appointed.
In view of the large population in the city, the programme will be held three additional days with volunteers going on a door-to-door survey to vaccinate uncovered children.
Across the globe
The PPI programme is being organised all over the world to free human race from the debilitating disease. Thirty two thousand polio cases were registered during 1994 in India.
The PPI programme was launched in India in 1995 and was taken up with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm all over the country resulting in a noticeable decline in the number of cases.
The number of polio cases registered in India was 66 in 2005, 676 in 2006 and 844 in 2007 and this year 21 cases have been registered all over the country so far.
A majority of the cases were reported in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
In AP, only one case was reported from Srikakulam in 2004 and after that five cases have been registered in the State in 2007.
Polio would soon be eradicated from India.
But, in the meantime it is essential to keep a watch on the new cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (FAP) that causes sudden weakening of the hands, legs, neck or any other part of the body in children below 15 years of age.
sourec from:-http://www.hindu.com