Tamil Nadu To Launch Statewide Pulse Polio Campaign Under CM Vijay
Statewide polio campaign launched to boost child immunisation.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is set to inaugurate the state’s annual Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign on Sunday, marking the launch of a statewide drive aimed at protecting children under the age of five from poliomyelitis and maintaining India’s polio-free status.
The campaign will be officially launched at the Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary School campus in Palavakkam, Chennai, where eligible children will be administered oral polio vaccine drops. The initiative forms part of the National Pulse Polio Programme, which is conducted annually across India to ensure continued immunity against the highly infectious disease.
As part of this year’s drive, the Tamil Nadu Health Department has set an ambitious target of vaccinating 52.91 lakh children across the state. To achieve this, authorities have established a large network of 43,051 vaccination booths across government hospitals, primary health centres, Anganwadi centres, schools, transport hubs, toll plazas, check posts, airports, and other high-footfall public locations.
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Officials said the extensive booth network is designed to ensure maximum coverage, including children from families who may be travelling on the day of the campaign. The objective is to leave no eligible child unvaccinated, regardless of location or accessibility challenges.
Special arrangements have also been made to reach children in remote and hard-to-access regions, including hilly terrain and isolated rural settlements. Mobile medical teams have been deployed to travel to these areas and administer vaccines on site, ensuring equitable coverage across the state.
Ahead of the launch, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G. S. Sameeran inspected preparations at the Palavakkam venue on Saturday. Health and civic officials reviewed logistical arrangements to ensure smooth execution of both the inauguration and the statewide immunisation effort.
India was declared polio-free by the World Health Organization in 2014, but health authorities continue to conduct annual Pulse Polio campaigns as a precautionary measure. Officials and medical experts emphasise that repeated vaccination doses remain essential to sustaining immunity and preventing any possible resurgence or import of the virus.
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