Around 1.8 million children below the age of five will be administered anti-polio drops in the national capital Sunday even as Delhi reported no polio case for the second consecutive year.
Kick-starting the 64th round of pulse-polio immunisation campaign, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Saturday said the state would continue to remain polio free but she feared spreading of the virus from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh."Not even a single case of polio was reported last year. The only threat which Delhi is facing in this regard is from certain neighbouring states which contribute substantially in huge migration of people to the capital," Dikshit said after administering drops to a number of kids at her residence.
She also said the floating population, which is coming to Delhi everyday in connection with their employment and other obligation could also be responsible for cases of polio in the national capital.
Delhi Health Minister Yoganand Shastri conveyed his gratitude towards Rotary Club and other non-governmental organisations for making Pulse Polio Campaign a grand success in Delhi.
Nearly 30,000 workers and employees of the health department would be deployed to ensure maximum reach from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), India reported 244 cases of polio as against 66 in all of 2005. The vast majority of the cases have come from the western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Advertisement
Besides, a door-to-door weeklong survey would also be conducted under search and immunisation phase of 64th Round Up Pulse Polio Campaign. Around 17,000 workers in 8,600 teams would visit different colonies including slums to search for left over cases and administer polio drops to those children.
Advertisement
SRM
