One Lakh Children To Get Polio Vaccine In Manyam
VISAKHAPATNAM: Parvathipuram Manyam district administration has completed preparations to administer polio drops to 99,507 children under the age of five under the Pulse Polio program scheduled to be held on December 21. Addressing a press conference on Monday, district collector N. Prabhakara Reddy said vaccination booths have been set up at 905 locations across the district to ensure comprehensive coverage. “Every child, from newborns to those under five, should receive polio drops,” he emphasized.
The Ministry of Health will deploy 42 mobile teams targeting slums, migrant worker settlements, construction sites and brick kilns to reach children in remote and underserved areas. Each mobile team consists of a paramedic and two support staff. These teams will also cover 178 remote villages as well as high-traffic areas such as bus stops, railway stations, hospitals, markets and tourist attractions. The program will also utilize 19 crossing points to vaccinate children on the move.
More than one lakh doses of polio vaccine have been allocated to the district for the campaign. Considering that some children may be missed during the main journey, health workers will conduct a house-to-house survey on 22 and 23 December to identify and vaccinate the remaining children.
72 medical officers, 382 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), 277 community health officers, 1,545 ASHA workers and 2,075 Anganwadi staff will participate in the large-scale vaccination drive. Additional support will come from pharmacists, nursing students, volunteers from nonprofit organizations, and teachers. An inspection team consisting of nine district medical and health officers and 93 health inspectors will oversee the implementation of the programme.
