CM Vijay launches state-wide pulse polio vaccination drive
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay launched the State’s annual Pulse Polio Immunisation campaign on Sunday, highlighting the government’s continued efforts to protect children from polio and maintain India’s polio-free status.
The inaugural event was held at the Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary School in Palavakkam, Chennai, where oral polio drops were administered to children below five years of age.
As part of the nationwide Pulse Polio Programme, the Health Department aimed to vaccinate nearly 52.91 lakh children across Tamil Nadu in a single-day campaign.
To ensure maximum coverage, 43,051 vaccination centres have been established across government hospitals, primary health centres, Anganwadi centres, schools, transport hubs, airports, toll plazas, railway stations, and other public locations.
Special mobile medical teams have also been deployed to remote villages and hilly regions so that children living in hard-to-reach areas receive the vaccine.
Health officials urged parents to bring every child under five years of age for vaccination, regardless of previous immunisation history, stressing that repeated doses are necessary to sustain immunity against the disease.
Ahead of the campaign, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran reviewed preparations at the Palavakkam venue. India has remained polio-free since receiving certification from the World Health Organization in 2014, with annual immunisation drives continuing as a preventive measure.