Bangalore: Feb 19 - Polio Sunday: Target 74,59,152 Kids in State

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Feb 17: On February 19, which is being observed all over the country as Polio Sunday, Karnataka has embarked on an ambitious target of administering 74,59,152 children in the age group of 0 to 5 years throughout the State.

A total of 1,04,002 vaccinators and 6,722 supervisors would be involved in the entire day-long exercise, Karnataka’s Health and Family Welfare Services Department Secretary Dr E V Ramana Reddy announced at a news conference in Bangalore on Friday.

Karnataka Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda would be formally launching the state-wide first round of the pulse polio programme on February 19, Sunday, morning from his Home Office, Krishna.

While the first round of pulse polio vaccination is being held on February 19, Sunday, the second round will be held on April 15, Sunday, Dr Reddy said.

As many as 97,88,520 doses and 4,89,426 vials of oral polio vaccine drops have been arranged for administering to the children in the age group of 0 to 5 years, Dr Reddy said.

India has been free from polio for the whole of last year from January 12, 2011, when the last case of polio was detected at Howrah in West Bengal, Dr Reddy said pointing out that it was a landmark development for the entire country considering the fact that India had reported around 32,000 polio cases hardly 17 years in 1995.

''If the country is free from polio for the next two years, completing three years without detection of any fresh polio cases,” Dr Reddy said the World Health Organisation (WHO) would declare India as polio free.

Explaining that polio was a completely preventable dreaded disease which cripples human beings for life and considered incurable after affliction, Dr Reddy said administering pulse polio vaccines to all young children regularly from birth till 5 years was the only solution. The pulse polio drops can be administered any number of times but compulsorily at least twice a year till the child is 5 year-old, he said.

Karnataka had achieved the polio-free distinction way back in 2007, when the last polio case was detected in Raichur, Dr Reddy said pointing out that the case pertained to a child belonging to migrant family.

However, the last indigenous polio case to be reported from the State was from Yeshwanthpur hobli in Bangalore in the year 2004.

As part of the Government of India’s policy for total eradication of polio from the country, Karnataka has been consistently and systematically carrying out the polio vaccination drive every year.