Mangaluru: The first phase of pulse polio immunisation programme in the district will begin on January 17 and February 21.
District Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr Ramakrishna Rao said that the polio immunisation drive will aim at administering polio drops to children below five years of age.

Dr Rao said that despite World Health Organisation declaring India as ‘Polio-free nation’, the drives are being held as precautionary measures. In Karnataka, the last polio case was reported in 2007 and in Dakshina Kannada in 1999.

He said that on first day of the programme, pulse polio will be administered in booths and during the next two to three days door-to-door visit by the volunteers would be taken up.

“In Dakshina Kannada district, there are a total of 1,68,947 children who are below five years and to complete the drive a total of 921 vaccination centres, eight mobile teams, and 16 transit vaccination units have been set up. A total of 3,828 vaccine providers and 192 supervisors have been assigned for the job,” he said.

Polio vaccination centres are district health and family welfare offices, taluk health centre offices, public hospitals, city family welfare centres, community health centres, and primary health care centres.

Apart from this, fourth and final round of Indradhanush programme will be held from January 4-12 wherein immunization for for pregnant women and for children below two years will be given.