POLIO CAMPAIGN Every Child Under 5 Must Receive Vaccine from March 3: Govt.
KO NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR: Secretary Health and Medical Education, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah on Friday underscored that every child under 5 years of age must be administered Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) on National Immunization Day (Pulse Polio) on March 3.
He said that India maintains polio free status since 2011 and to ensure that the country stays free of polio, all stakeholders must redouble their efforts. He called upon all stakeholders, including the general public to wholeheartedly participate in the National Immunization Day (NID) to ensure maintenance of polio free status of the country and Jammu & Kashmir.
He made these remarks during the State Task Force meeting regarding National Immunization Day to discuss the planning & implementation of activities for Pulse Polio scheduled on the 3rd of March 2024 across Jammu & Kashmir.
The health department will administer OPV to all children in the age group of 0-5 in the arranged booths throughout the UT on 3rd March followed by house to house activity on 4th and 5th March while transit sites and special areas will be covered throughout the three days of immunization programme. In Jammu and Kashmir, around 19 lakh children will be inoculated during the three days from March 3 - 5.
The meeting was attended by Mission Director, National Health Mission, J&K, District Development Commissioners of J&K , Director School Education Kashmir, Director School Education Jammu, Director AYUSH J&K, Director Health Services, Jammu, Director Health Services, Kashmir, Chief Medical Officers, State Immunization Officer, J&K, Deputy CMO’s of J&K, District Immunization Officers (DIOs) of J&K. All outstation officers attended the meeting via video conference.
Dr Abid Rasheed took a detailed review from every district about the preparations made and the steps taken by them for the NID activities among the target population, including the details of number of booths, vaccine availability in far-off places.
While chairing the meeting, Secretary Health & Medical Education said that maintaining polio free status is a prime responsibility for all stakeholders. He said that effective implementation of pulse polio immunization programme is necessary to safeguard our future generations from this disease.
He called upon all the concerned departments to ensure active indulgence and take leadership roles in making this immunization programme successful so that no eligible child is left behind without vaccination.
He said that some districts have peculiar geographical challenges and they should put in place a meticulous and in-depth plan in this regard. He said that slum areas brick kilns, construction sites, hard to reach areas and other vulnerable areas should be given utmost attention during the immunization day and proper surveillance must be maintained in such areas.
Secretary Health also directed the DIOs to maintain adequate supply of vaccine at all locations while emphasising the criticality of cold chain maintenance.
He said that Chief Medical Officers/District Immunization Officers Shall ensure all vaccinators and supervisors have undergone orientation as and when required. He said that they should make supervisory visits to sub district levels to review preparedness and monitor implementation.