Polio Sub-National Immunisation day in 11 states, UTs from June 19

The first Sub-National Immunisation Day for 2022 for administering Polio vaccine drops will be conducted from June 19 in 11 states and UTs, Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.

The states and UTs for Polio vaccine campaign will include Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

During the campaign, around 3.9 crore children less than 5 years of age are targeted to be given polio drops through booth, house-to-house, mobile and transit teams.

To provide additional protection to children, the Union Government has also introduced the injectable Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine into its routine immunisation programme.

While India is making efforts to protect its children from more and more Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPDs) by introducing additional vaccines under the Universal Immunisation Program (UIP), it is important that all vaccines also reach every last child in the country, health ministry said.

The lessons learned and systems created under the National Polio Programme are being used to strengthen routine immunisation and achieve more than 90 per cent full immunisation coverage.

State Governments and organisations like WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and other partners have played a significant role not only in polio eradication but also in improving routine immunisation initiatives, the Ministry said.

India, along with 10 other countries in the South-East Asia Region of WHO, was certified polio-free on March 27, 2014. The last case of polio in the country was reported from Howrah, West Bengal on January 13, 2011.