The three-day immunisation pulse polio campaign began across Jalandhar district on Sunday, with Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Walia’s two-and-a-half-month-old son receiving polio drops from a Health Department team. The campaign aims to cover 1,96,657 children below five years of age.
Deputy Commissioner Appeals for Parental Participation
Appealing to parents to actively participate in the campaign, Walia said every child below the age of five must be administered polio drops to ensure India remains a polio-free nation. He urged residents to extend full cooperation to Health Department teams and ensure no eligible child is left uncovered during the drive.
2,203 Teams Deployed Across District
Accompanied by Civil Surgeon Dr Rajesh Garg, the Deputy Commissioner said as many as 2,203 teams have been deployed across the district, including 2,107 house-to-house teams, 66 mobile teams and 30 transit teams, to administer polio drops to 1,96,657 children under five. The teams will cover nearly 5,41,258 households in both urban and rural areas, with special focus on 715 high-risk locations such as slums, brick kilns, industrial areas, temporary settlements and other vulnerable pockets.
Monitoring and Follow-Up Arrangements
Walia further said the district administration and Health Department have made necessary arrangements to ensure the campaign's success. He informed that 267 supervisors have been deployed to closely monitor the immunisation drive and ensure its smooth implementation. Children who miss receiving polio drops at designated booths on the first day will be covered through intensive house-to-house visits by Health Department teams during the remaining two days of the campaign.
Civil Surgeon Dr Rajesh Garg, District Immunization Officer Dr Simranjit Kaur, Assistant Health Officer Dr Meera, Medical Officer Dr Adityapal, Dental Surgeon (PAP) Dr Anudeep Kaur, Deputy MEIOs Aseem Sharma and Ravinder Jassal, Ayurvedic Medical Officer Dr Monika, MPHW (Female) Kalpana and ASHA workers were present on the occasion.
Phagwara Reports 2,662 Children Vaccinated on Day One
In Phagwara, a total of 2,662 children were administered polio drops on the opening day of the three-day pulse polio eradication drive on Sunday. Senior Medical Officer Dr Simardeep Kaur and paediatrician Dr Naresh Kundra told this correspondent that the vaccination campaign began successfully across the subdivision with 50 booths set up, including two transit booths at the railway station and bus stand, and one mobile team to cover children on the move and in inaccessible areas.
Member of Parliament Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal and Phagwara Mayor Ram Paul Uppal visited vaccination booths to review arrangements and encouraged parents to ensure every child under five receives polio drops. Health officials appealed to parents who could not bring their children on the first day to avail the remaining two days of the campaign to help achieve complete immunisation coverage against polio.
Hoshiarpur Achieves Strong First-Day Coverage
The Health Department achieved a strong start to the three-day intensified pulse polio campaign in Hoshiarpur district, with 89,840 children under five receiving polio drops on the first day. This accounts for 63.82 per cent of the district’s target of 1,40,768 children.
Civil Surgeon and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Mandeep Kamal visited several polio booths in the Garhshankar area to review the vaccination drive. The CMO interacted with health workers and directed them to ensure no eligible child is left without the life-saving polio vaccine. Appreciating the efforts of field teams, the CMO said children who could not be covered on the first day would be vaccinated through door-to-door visits on June 29 and 30. Booth teams, mobile teams and transit teams will remain active throughout the campaign to reach every eligible child. The CMO appealed to parents to fully cooperate with health workers and ensure all children under five receive polio drops, helping keep the district protected from the disease.
