Tamil Nadu: Pulse Polio Immunisation campaign on March 3

The annual Pulse Polio immunization campaign in Tamil Nadu, India is being held on Sunday, March 3. Over 23 lakh children below the age of five in the State will receive an extra dose of the oral polio vaccine.

Here are the key details:

• Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
• Initiative: Annual Pulse Polio Campaign
• Objective: To immunize 57.84 lakh (5.784 million) children below 5 years of age.
• Date of Campaign: The campaign is scheduled to take place on Sunday.
• Booths: 43,051 booths will be set up across various locations, including primary health centers, government hospitals, ICDS centers, noon meal centers, schools, bus stands, railway stations, toll plazas, check posts, and airports throughout the state.
• Operating Hours: The booths will operate between 7 am and 5 pm.
• Vaccine Administration: Approximately 2 lakh personnel from health, integrated child development scheme, education, and other government departments, along with volunteers from organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, and Rotary International, will administer oral polio vaccines to children.
• Special Note: Even newborns and children who have been previously immunized for polio are advised to take the oral vaccine. To identify vaccinated children, marking will be done on the left little finger.
• Mop-Up Drive: Children who do not receive the vaccine on the scheduled day will be covered during the mop-up drive.

This campaign aims to maintain the polio-free status achieved in Tamil Nadu since 2004 by ensuring that all children under the age of 5 receive the necessary immunization against polio.