President Pranab Mukherjee Launches the Pulse Polio Program at Rahstrapati Bhawan

Every year, India observes the National Immunization Day in January to mark the launch of pulse polio program. On the eve of National Immunization Day 2016, President Pranab Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio Program by administering polio vaccine to children under five years of age at Rahstrapati Bhawan on Saturday, January 16, 2016. Nearly 17.4 crore children across the country will be administered polio vaccine on Sunday, January 17, 2016.

Speaking on the occasion, Health Minister J.P. Nadda said, "Polio-free status for five years is a treasure for the country. As polio is now endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the world is at last stage of polio eradication. To mitigate the risk of importation, the immunity against polio infection is maintained through National and Sub National Polio rounds along with sustained high quality polio surveillance. To provide double protection to the children, the government has introduced the injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine into its routine immunization program along with oral polio vaccine. The government is planning to switch to bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine from its present trivalent version in some months."

Source-ANI