Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandavia on February 26, 2022, launched the National Polio Immunisation Drive for 2022 by administering polio drops to children below five years of age at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Dr Mandaviya, in his addressing on the occasion, said, “ India’s strategic fight against polio is a success story of India’s public health policy against vaccine preventable diseases. We need to continue to be vigilant and ensure that every child under 5 years of age must get polio drops.”
“Under the leadership of our Prime Minister, Universal Immunisation Programme is focusing to protect children from more diseases than ever before and has introduced several new vaccine like Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), Rotavirus vaccine, and Measles-Rubella vaccine (MR) in the recent past. To provide additional protection to our children, the Government of India has also introduced the injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine into its routine immunisation programme. While we are making efforts to protect our children from more and more diseases, it is important that all vaccine under the programme reach every child of our country,.” Dr. Mandaviya said added.
Stressing on the importance of observing National Immunisation Day, Mandaviya said, “The aim of Swastha Bharath can only be achieved if our children are healthy. The objective of Mission Indradhanush or Polio Vaccination Drive is to protect our children against deadly diseases. Since our neighbouring countries are still not polio free, we should remain vigil and continue the vaccination programme. Over 15 crore children of age less than 5 years will be vaccinated in the coming months. Door-to-door Vaccination campaigns through robust micro-planning will be done to ensure that no one is left. I congratulate all the Health Care Workers, Stakeholders like WHO, UNICEF, Rotary club, and NGOs for making this immunisation programme a Lok Bhagidari Andolan as envisioned by the Prime Minister. I request all families to come forward to get their children vaccinated.”
The Union Health Secretary highlighted the achievements and the way forward to implement the National Immunisation Programme. He said, “Though India is polio free, it is still our responsibility to remain vigil. Transit teams deployed in all the states will ensure immunisation. And, continuous pulse polio implementation at borders are happening as our neighbouring countries are still reporting Polio Cases.”
The Polio National Immunisation Day 2022 (NID) will be organised across the country on February 27, 2022. India conducts one nationwide NID and two Sub-National Immunisation Day (SNIDs) for polio every year to maintain population immunity against wild poliovirus and to sustain its polio free status. During the Polio NID, over 15 crore children will be covered across all 36 States and UTs in 735 districts. During the drive, polio drops will be provided to children through 7 lakh booths across the country. Approximately 23.6 crore houses will be visited by nearly 24 lakh volunteers and 1.5 lakh supervisors, according to a PIB release.
The election bound states of Uttar Pradesh and Manipur plan to organise the Polio NID on March 20 and March 24, 2022, respectively. The State of Meghalaya conducted the drive in the state on January 24, 2022.
India has been free of polio for more than a decade, with the last case of wild poliovirus reported on January 13, 2011. However, India continues to remain vigilant to prevent re-entry of poliovirus into the country from neighboring countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where wild poliovirus continues to cause the disease.