Thiruvananthapuram: Over 17 lakh children below the age of five received Pulse Polio vaccine drops at booths across Kerala, achieving 88.53 per cent coverage, state Health Minister K Muraleedharan said. In a statement, the minister said the state had targeted 19.8 lakh children under the Pulse Polio immunisation programme.
Health workers and volunteers will undertake a house-to-house campaign on Monday and Tuesday to administer the vaccine to children who missed the immunisation drive on Sunday, he said.
Urging parents to ensure that all children below the age of five receive the vaccine, the minister said the immunisation drive was essential to keep the state free from poliovirus.
Muraleedharan inaugurated the state-level Pulse Polio campaign by administering polio drops to children at the Women and Children’s Hospital in Thycaud.
Although Kerala has not reported a polio case in the last 26 years, vigilance and preventive measures need to be strengthened to guard against future risks, he said.
He also said the government would continue to strengthen the public health sector while implementing projects with local bodies to ensure food safety and keep rivers and streams free of waste.
He added that efforts to secure approval for the second medical college in Thiruvananthapuram would be expedited this year.
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