Punjab health minister Balbir Sidhu launches pulse polio campaign in state

Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu launched a three-day pulse polio campaign at Jagatpura village in Mohali recently.

Over 33 lakh children below the age of five years across the state will be administered polio drops as part of the National Immunization Day (NID) drive.

The health minister said the country was already polio-free, however, the vaccination was a must to sustain polio eradication from the country.

After administering oral polio vaccine drops to children, Sidhu addressing a gathering on the occasion, said his government was making all efforts to protect children from diseases.

He emphasised that all vaccines under the programme must reach each and every child of the state.

During the current drive, more than 50,000 health workers, aanganwadi workers, nursing students and volunteers will visit houses, slums, brick kilns, railway stations, bus stands and other places to vaccinate children, Sidhu said.

A total of 2,668 supervisors will carry out sudden checks to monitor the immunisation programme and to ensure that all children have received the vaccines, the health minister said.

The last case of polio was reported in 2011 in West Bengal. Punjab has not seen a case of polio since 2009, he said.