Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The health officials have achieved a target of 98 percent in immunizing children under the age of five against polio during the three days of the sub-national pulse polio campaign.
The campaign started in 16 districts of the state on Sunday, December 8, and 75 percent of the target was achieved through administering polio drops at the booths, while the remaining children were targeted in the door-to-door drive over the following two days.
The department continued the drive on Wednesday to reach the remaining children and administer the polio drops.
“During the door-to-door drive, our major target was the migratory and worker population, as they do not reach the booths to get the polio drops. We ran special campaigns to reach such children and administered the drops to them, achieving over 98 percent of the target,” said District Immunization Officer Dr. Tarun Gupta.
Areas targeted under the door-to-door drive included Chandan Nagar, Bijasan, Bypass, Mangliya, Super Corridor, and others.
Surprisingly, the children expressed excitement about getting the drops and even danced when the health team reached their area.
“The children were excited to get the drops, and many had even shown us the mark on their little finger as confirmation that they had already received the drops,” Dr. Gupta added.
Later, the team distributed biscuits and chocolates to the children after administering the drops.
“We distributed gifts to the children ourselves to motivate them to get immunized against the disease,” said the immunization officer.
The officials also appealed to people to inform them or visit the nearest health center to get their children immunized if they missed the campaign.
