As Nation begins the 3-day polio vaccination drive today, crores of children will be immunised in various parts of India. The pulse polio programme always starts on a Sunday, known as Polio Ravivar, also called the National Immunisation Day. The three-day polio vaccination this year will conclude on February 2.
The country was declared polio-free in 2014 because of its extensive polio immunization campaign and in this vaccination drive, around 3 crore and 40 lakh children will be administered polio drops across Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will launch the pulse polio immunisation campaign by giving polio drops to several children in Lucknow`s Dufferin hospital.
According to reports, Uttar Pradesh has 1,10,000 polio booths. Besides, 69,000 teams have been constituted who will visit each house to give polio drops.
Considering the Covid 19 situation in the country, the Polio immunisation drive will follow all the necessary guidelines to keep the children safe, and therefore, there will be mandatory masks, social distancing, and hand hygiene during the drive. The government has advised senior citizens to not go to the immunisation camps with children due to the risks involved because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The countrywide immunisation programme was earlier scheduled to start from 17 January, however, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 vaccination drive which started on 16 January.
"With the countrywide Covid-19 vaccination drive scheduled to be rolled out on 16 January, the MoHFW in consultation with the office of President of India has rescheduled the Polio vaccination day to 31 January 2021," the Government of India had informed earlier.