J&K: Close to 17 lakh children administered pulse polio drops

Srinagar, Mar 3 (UNI) A total of 16.82 lakh children below the age of five years were administered pulse polio drops across Jammu and Kashmir, commemorating the National Immunisation Day on Sunday, officials said.
For the next two days, the door-to-door campaign will continue, amid intensified efforts to achieve 100 percent immunisation coverage for all children across the Union Territory.
An official spokesman said that at the end of the first day, reports reflected that 16,81,808 children, 87 percent of the total, were administered polio drops across Jammu & Kashmir.
Secretary Health and Medical Education Jammu and Kashmir Syed Abid Shah inaugurated the Pulse Polio campaign at Children’s Hospital Bemina Srinagar by giving the first polio drop to a child.
About 19 Lakh children below the age of five years were registered to administer the Pulse Polio drops in Jammu and Kashmir.
A total of 11000 Polio vaccination booths were installed in the Union Territory to undertake the drive. Besides, all Prime Health Centers of Jammu and Kashmir were also turned into the Polio booths for the day to carry out the drive successfully, Shah told media persons at the Bemina Hospital in Srinagar on Sunday.
“As many as 45000 health workers including Doctors, Supervisors, Multi-Purpose Health workers, Pharmacists, Anganwadi and Asha workers with the combined efforts of the administration of all the 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir were tasked for the drive to make it successful”, he said.
He said alongwith the whole country; Jammu and Kashmir is celebrating the National Pulse Polio Day on Sunday.
“There are some challenging areas in Jammu and Kashmir and these have also been covered under the National Pulse Polio campaign today”, Shah said.
In Srinagar parents were seen carrying their children moving towards the Polio booths to administer the polio drop amid wet weather during the day.